The Enneagram and Church Staff Dynamics: A Tool Not a Truth

In leadership efforts to build healthy team cultures within church staff, personality assessments like the Enneagram can provide helpful insights. However, it's essential to remember that these assessments are tools, not truths.

Enneagram Essentials and Limitations

The Enneagram, like many personality tools, offers valuable insight into how people process the world, opening doors to self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and communication styles – all essential elements in a vibrant, diverse church staff.

However, the trap lies in boxing people into their Enneagram types, like labeling someone as a two or avoiding conflict with someone because they're an eight. The Enneagram describes behavior, but it doesn't diagnose dysfunction. This diagnostic shortfall can lead to overlooking potential issues on your team, as personality tools don't measure qualities like humility or integrity.

Personality Is Not Character

While a potential hire may be considered a perfect Enneagram match, the initial perfect harmony might fade within months as deeper, more critical issues surface. Remember, personality does not equal character. Personality is a description of behavior, while character is who we truly are, often revealed under tension.

Relying solely on personality tools can lead to building teams that appear healthy on paper but fall apart under pressure. It is therefore crucial to look beyond the score and dig deep to unearth emotional health, accountability, and spiritual maturity.

How to Utilize Personality Assessments Wisely

When using tools like the Enneagram, here are a few key recommendations:

• Use it as a mirror, not a mask. It should aid self-awareness, not become an excuse for ungrowth.
• Pair it with regular check-ins and honest feedback.
• When hiring, use it in combination with in-person conversations and observations to assess team dynamics and character.
• Put spiritual formation at the core of staff development.

The healthiest teams are not just the ones with the most self-awareness, but the ones doing continuous work to stay humble, unified, and mission-focused.

The Enneagram and other personality tools can indeed be helpful; they are informative starting points. However, self-awareness is merely the first step towards growing a healthier, more aligned team. The real work necessitates a willingness to go beyond the numbers to foster a vibrant, effective church staff dynamic.

To learn more about using the Enneagram or other personality assessments in church staff dynamics, listen to today's Healthy Church Staff Podcast episode for more valuable insights.