Module 3 · Live Session Activity

Core Motivation Types

A personality tool to increase self-awareness, leverage your strengths and communicate more effectively.

Developed by John Andrew Williams, MCC — Founder and Lead Trainer, Coach Training EDU.

The core motivation personality tool is based on the Enneagram, a mixture of an ancient personality system and modern psychology. This particular model was developed by Coach Training EDU and is utilized by coaches in training as a coaching exploration tool.

What this tool helps you explore

Your natural strengthsAnd what really motivates you.
What helps and hindersThe patterns behind your personal growth.
How others see the worldAnd how best to communicate with them.
Your leadership edgeHow to leverage your type to lead at your best.
Before you begin. There are nine core motivations. Everyone has a little of each in their personality. One will potentially stand out to you the most — read the full paragraph and description to understand how it resonates with you, rather than going only on the title. “The Perfectionist”, “The Artist” or “The Optimist” do not necessarily carry the literal meaning you may associate with those words.

How the activity runs · 10 minutes · individual

Three steps

1

Scan the table, pick three

Read across the nine types below and choose the three that sound most like you.

2

Read your three in detail

The full description for each of your three opens up underneath. Look for real examples of yourself in them.

3

Choose your main type

From the three you have selected, capture some examples where each one shows up and attempt to narrow down to the one you default to the most.

Tips for choosing well

Four things that trip people up

Don't get fixated on the name. The label is only a starting point — each type has depth well beyond its title.
Start with what's actually true. Choose the type that feels familiar to how you lead now, not the leader you want to become.
Don't reject a type too quickly. The names are adapted from the Enneagram and may not mean what you assume at first glance.
Stay open to surprise. You may resonate most with a type you didn't expect — if you're willing to be honest with yourself.

“For instance, someone might want to be ‘The Optimist’ — who wouldn't? Yet if they often lead from a place of caution or control, they might be a better fit for ‘The Friend’ or ‘The Defender.’”

Before you begin

Please add your name before you continue — it is carried into your Inner Coach prompt.

Kept in this browser on this device only — it is never sent to Coachability. Your name is carried into the Strengths & Inner Coach activity and fills itself into the AI prompt for you.

Step 1 · The nine core motivation types

Which three sound most like you?

Read across the table and choose your top three. Don't overthink it — you'll read the detail for your three in the next step, and you can change your mind then.

Core Motivation Type
Core Focus
Does this sound like you?

Steps 2 & 3 · Read your three, then choose your main type

Now look closer

Step 2 · Read your three in detail. These are the full descriptions for the three you selected. Read each one and think of a real example where you have behaved this way.

Step 3 · Choose your main type. From the three you have selected, capture some examples where each one shows up. Then review what you have written and narrow down to the one you default to the most.

Anything you type is kept in this browser on this device only — it is never sent to Coachability. Print or save as PDF to keep your own copy.

Overview of All Core Motivation TypesOptional · every description in one place, if you want to read wider before deciding

Study Deeper

Review the charts below to understand Core Motivation Types further

Overview of ALL Core Motivation TypesAll nine paragraphs in full, each with its core focus and a question to test against yourself. Read them, choose the three that best describe you, then select the one that feels most like your main type.Expand on this page Desires, Fears & Your Inner CriticThe basic desire and the basic fear behind each type, and the internal message that runs underneath them. Then name what your Inner Critic actually says, and give it a character so you can recognize its voice when it appears.View chart Strengths & Inner CoachYour core strengths and what it takes for you to step into leadership, alongside guidance written in your Inner Coach’s voice. Then build a character for that Inner Coach, with an approved AI tool or without one.View chart Stress, Anger & TriggersWhat causes stress and anger for each type, and the particular shape your anger takes. Space to capture the leadership scenarios that trigger you, and the mechanisms you can use to regulate.View chart Communicating With Other TypesHow to speak to someone of each type. Then consider a colleague or team member you liaise with regularly who could be this type, and the techniques you will practice with them.View chart Exercises That Aid Personal GrowthThe challenge to personal growth that comes with each type, and the exercises that help move through it. Finish by committing to the ones you will actually implement.View chart

Disclaimer. The core motivation personality tool is based on the Enneagram, a mixture of an ancient personality system and modern psychology. This particular model was developed by Coach Training EDU and is utilized by coaches in training as a coaching exploration tool. The core motivation personality tool is not being used by Coachability as a psychological health diagnosis, screening of any type, mental health recommendation, or a sole determining factor of an individual's identity or being. The core motivation tool is for self-awareness, highlighting opportunities for self-reflection, and educational purposes only.

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