When Choosing an Identity, Consider This Instead

“Choose the one that you need to learn from,” was the line that struck me. At the time, I was not (and still am not) an Enneagram nut. But, I went down the rabbit hole of George Gurdjief’s work and subsequently the sacred Enneagram, which packs both a plethora of personal insight and a wake of hyper-obsessed therapists and aspiring therapists who can’t wait to categorize people. 

Russ Hudson was my teacher and offered the quote above that has deep learning for us all (separate from the Enneagram). 

Essentially the framework offers a numbered typing system that describes tendencies, directionality when you’re unhealthy, and insight as to how you’d behave when you’re healthy. We’ve talked at length in the Leadership Laboratory about the liability these typing frameworks (Myers Briggs, Love Languages, Enneagram, etc) have to the avoidance of responsibility and outsourcing agency in our behavior. 

What the quote above is calling us to do, is to beware of the avoidance associated with claiming an identity. This is especially important if your highest learning and development area would require you to hold your identity more loosely.

Many folks love their typing “diagnosis” a little too much, making their growth stunted. 

Ultimately, Russ was offering that if you’re unsure if you’re an Enneagram type “5” or “7,” pick the one that would teach you what you need to learn.