Core motivators matter for two reasons. In coaching, the coach can help his or her client identify and access these core motivators to make sure that the coaching aligns with these. When these core growth motivators are not present, the coaching rarely has the fuel to support deeper, longer lasting change. The second reason may come as a surprise. Some people have been able to identify their types based on these core motivators.

Type 1 core motivators
To be able to continuously improve themselves without feeling they have done something wrong
To be more consistently compassionate and attuned to others
To be less critical of themselves on such a continuous basis
To relax, have more fun, and feel more serene, especially when mistakes are made and/or things feel out of control

Type 2 core motivators
To feel less exhausted and depleted
To better help and serve others
To develop relationships in which they can truly count on others
To be able to say no without feeling guilty, anxious, or angry
To be less dependent on the responses of others and more reliant on their own sense of real inner strength and solidity

Type 3 core motivators
To feel more successful without feeling the pressure of always having to prove themselves
To have better, more meaningful, and longer-lasting relationships
To be able to relax and just be, without feeling the need to constantly impress others
To experience themselves at a deeper level
To find out what they really want for themselves, apart from what they believe their goals should be based on their social context

Type 4 core motivators
To help them know more about themselves at the deepest levels and become more truly self-accepting
To make lasting connections with others that can be sustained without having to constantly engage in deep, meaningful interactions
To be less volatile, emotional, and reactive
To feel more capable of making things happen and to manifest their dreams rather than feeling that things happen to them

Type 5 core motivators
To truly know themselves better using a systematic framework
To better understand and anticipate the feelings of others
To feel more comfortable and have more predictability when interacting with others
To be better acknowledged in the organization for their talents and skills

Type 6 core motivators
To feel more secure, certain, and confident
To be less reactive and more in control of themselves
To be able to truly trust themselves and others to make good decisions and to take care of situations
To not have to hide their anxieties, which includes not feeling anxious so frequently, thus having less of a need to hide their reactions

Type 7 core motivators
To learn something exciting and personally beneficial
To read others better and develop deeper and more consistent empathy
To transform their ideas into reality
To be taken more seriously by others
To feel more complete as a person

Type 8 core motivators
To know the truth from the widest perspective possible
To understand others psychologically
To feel less guilty for their own behavior and less responsible for other people
To feel strong even when feeling vulnerable or weak
To manage their vast energy without imploding or exploding

Type 9 core motivators
To express themselves clearly and directly and to have greater influence and more authority than they might normally
To have a strong, deeply held sense of personal power so that they feel empowered to take effective action
To transform conflict into deeper and more connected relationships instead of avoiding it
To work with other people from a sense of fully understanding both themselves and others

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, the author of five best-selling Enneagram-business books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs for professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications, and is past-president of the International Enneagram Association. Visit her website: TheEnneagramInBusiness.com. ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com