The Enneagram Explained: How You’re Wired and Why It Matters
Before we talk about goals, action plans, or leadership skills during the coaching engagement, we start with how you’re wired.
As they say, “we are who we are”. Research backs this up. In early childhood, certain patterns and habits emerge. We all adapt, of course, but our core tendencies remain fairly consistent over time.
One of the first steps in coaching is conducting an Enneagram assessment.
The Enneagram helps explain how you think, feel, and act. It impacts how we show up. It describes core patterns in how we operate, make decisions, and react under pressure.
The assessment is taken and used in both personal coaching and executive coaching. We introduce it early because it sets the foundation for how we work together.
In simple terms, the Enneagram helps make sense of why certain behaviors repeat themselves or feel automatic.
This matters in coaching and in life. The way you think, feel, and act drives how you lead. Every day, our style influences communication, delegation, and decision-making.
And when leaders better understand these patterns, they become more aware.
The Enneagram is one tool within the broader coaching process. The goal isn’t to change who you are. It’s to understand yourself well enough to operate with a better understanding of why you do what you do – and the impact on yourself and others.
Onwards!
About The Author
Chris Chaia is the founder of Onwards Consulting, an executive coaching and strategic marketing consulting firm, serving leaders and organizations navigating growth and change. She is also the architect and publisher of The Business of Coaching 2025, a global research study on the practices, habits and behaviors of coaching entrepreneurs.
