From strikers to safety disasters to Deion Sanders to George Santos, the year 2023 was filled with many remarkable personalities, incidents, and even disasters. Yes, here are the 2023 derailers of the year.
The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) measures 11 performance risks called derailers. In Hogan terms, derailers are personality strengths that can get people into trouble during times of stress, burnout, complacency, or other moments when we aren’t self-monitoring. HDS scores can be used to help individuals recognize and mitigate potential areas for career derailment.
To kick off the derailers of the year, the OpenAI board represents Excitable. The Excitable scale refers to emotional decision-making fueled by intense, volatile moods. The OpenAI board fired CEO Sam Altman on a Friday afternoon and rehired him early the following week. Subsequently, the board was reconfigured, including a seat for former competitor Microsoft—a corporate emotional rollercoaster.
Skeptical: Things in the Sky
In 2023, we experienced a lot of unusual sky events that led to uncertainty and questioning. One concerned public conversation about UFO phenomena, and another had to do with the so-called Chinese spy balloon. The Skeptical scale measures a person’s likelihood to seem cynical, distrustful, and fault-finding. These incidents related to things in the sky raised the level of skepticism toward governments, media, and the nature of evidence.
Cautious: Federal Reserve Interest Rates
The Cautious scale concerns deferring decisions to wait and see. Global inflation has created a worldwide effect of investment hesitance. In 2022, the US Federal Reserve interest rate was close to 0 percent; in 2023, it rose to 5.5 percent in an effort to curb inflation. This change has created a sense of caution among startup investors in tech and other industries, limiting business investments. It has also affected the US housing market, limiting real estate investment.
Reserved: John Wick
The John Wick franchise, which originated in 2014, features actor Keanu Reeves as a retired assassin who gets drawn back into crime. In the 170-minute John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), the character speaks only 380 words. This represents the Reserved scale, which measures the tendency to seem socially withdrawn, tough, or uncommunicative. A high Reserved manager in derailment might lock themselves in their office and refuse to answer questions. Similarly, in the film, John Wick takes a phone call without speaking even once.
Leisurely: Southwest Airlines
The Leisurely scale involves overt cooperation but private resistance. High Leisurely leaders tend to seem polite and friendly on the outside but are resentful or resistant on the inside. Southwest Airlines represents this derailer because of a series of flight delays caused by system problems at the end of 2022 and throughout 2023. The airline’s consistent technical issues caused a snowball effect that arguably damaged the whole industry’s reputation.
Bold: Elon Musk
Last year, he stood for Diligent; this year, he stands for Bold. Elon Musk made an inexplicable decision to change the Twitter brand name to X and retire the blue bird logo. Brand changes should not be undertaken lightly, especially when the brand is a household name like Twitter was. However, the Bold scale is about overconfidence and having a supreme belief in yourself despite all odds.
Mischievous: Safety Disasters
The Mischievous scale concerns not following rules, regulations, or guidelines. In the business world, a Mischievous event would be avoiding safety procedures to gain more profit. One of the numerous safety disasters of 2023 was the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment. The train, which was 1.75 miles long, derailed while carrying hazardous materials, causing the temporary evacuation of the area. Another was the Titan submersible implosion, which resulted in five casualties. Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate, who died in the implosion, had previously made statements about his lack of concern with safety.
Colorful: Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders, a former American football and baseball player nicknamed Coach Prime, is the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes. The Colorful scale concerns grabbing the spotlight and catching attention. Sanders, who was named the 2023 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year, has received lots of media coverage about his leadership and performance.
Imaginative: George Santos
George Santos was expelled from US Congress this year for fraud and misuse of campaign funds. Upon investigation, his biography—including his employment record, education, and even criminal history—appeared to be fabricated. The Imaginative scale relates to creative, unconventional thinking characterized by impracticality and eccentricity. Santos seems to have dreamt up a story about himself that he pretended was true.
Diligent: Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour
Taylor Swift’s Eras tour represents the Diligent scale for its hard work and high standards to the point of perfectionism. The Eras tour is the first to gross more than one billion US dollars, a testament to the success of Taylor Swift, who was named the Time Person of the Year for 2023. In her 151 shows across five continents, Taylor Swift covered 44 songs in more than three hours. The planning, preparation, and effort necessary to average a show every 4.1 days for nearly two years is a seriously Diligent achievement.
Dutiful: Strikers
The United Auto Workers strike lasted for 46 days, the longest UAW strike in 25 years. Nearly all the UAW workers’ demands were met because they demonstrated commitment to the group. Also, the Writers Guild of America strike lasted for 148 days, tied for second longest strike in WGA history. Both strikes significantly impacted their respective industries because of all the people who maintained the strike. The Dutiful scale relates to loyalty, following orders, and staying in line.
Thank you to the guests of The Science of Personality for sharing your knowledge and experience. Thank you also to the listeners of The Science of Personality for supporting the podcast.
Listen to this conversation in full on episode 91 of The Science of Personality. Never miss an episode by following us anywhere you get podcasts. Cheers, everybody!
Krista currently resides in China, and Anne-Marie resides in Australia. Not only are cultural differences a focus of their professional expertise, but cross-cultural business is also a part of their direct experience.
Keep reading to learn more about cultural differences in who becomes a leader, how to lead an international team, and ways organizations can leverage personality assessment data to select and develop globally minded leaders.
Cross-Cultural Personality
The Hogan point of view on cross-cultural personality is anchored in socioanalytic theory. Socioanalytic theory holds that humans across the globe evolved to get along, get ahead, and find meaning. “We have found that this is true no matter what society in the world is being measured,” said Krista.
The individual differences in how people pursue these universal goals equate to our unique personality characteristics. “We do not see certain genders, ethnicities, or other groups of people having significantly different trends,” Krista added. “This is why using personality is a fair and equal way to select and develop our talent.”
In other words, personality scores are mostly the same across cultures. Significant differences in personality do not exist between different groups, markets, or countries.
Leadership and Culture
Where we do see personality differences is in top leadership positions across different countries and markets. Some cultures value different outcomes, while others may value the same outcomes but achieve them in different ways.
Anne-Marie provided an example from Hogan personality data, comparing Canadian and French leaders. “Both of those markets’ leaders value getting ahead, so leaders tend to score higher on [the Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory scale] Power. However, they will differ in how they do so,” she explained. In Canada, a low-density population country, leaders tend to gain power by being warm and showing tact and diplomacy. In France, a high-density population country, organizations tend to promote and value leaders who are not afraid to confront or challenge others directly and publicly. Putting that in terms of Hogan scales, Canadian leaders tend to score higher than French leaders on the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) scale Interpersonal Sensitivity.
Differentiating Between Country and Culture
While it is possible to measure personality across national boundaries, it is not possible to do so across nebulous cultural boundaries. No one can pinpoint where culture starts and ends. For instance, French culture influences leaders in France and Canada, but also in Belgium, Congo, Haiti, Switzerland, and many, many other countries. Other cultural influences are present in most of those places, as well.
“Within a country’s borders, a lot of different factors influence what type of leaders are promoted to the top,” Krista said. Giving an illustration from China, she explained that business leaders tend to place less emphasis on agency and more on conscientiousness. These characteristics make them much more willing to build consensus and act within a group than to lead using the individualistic, charismatic style seen in other countries.
Leader Emergence and Leader Effectiveness
Leadership emergence relates to leaders who tend to be promoted, while leadership effectiveness relates to leaders who build and maintain high-performing teams. The two types of leadership may be found in the same individual, but they often aren’t.
Personality still predicts the same set of outcomes in all cultures, so what makes a leader effective in one culture is likely to make that leader effective (or ineffective) in other cultures, too. “If you’re a high [HPI] Adjustment individual, there’s the same set of consequences for you no matter what culture you’re in,” Krista observed.
“There may be differences in leadership emergence, but the same things seem to predict leadership effectiveness,” Anne-Marie agreed.
How to Lead an International Team
When explaining how to lead an international team, Anne-Marie and Krista advised leaders to evaluate their mindset and rely on data:
Understand your leadership style – Knowing the leadership style of your own market is key to recognizing differences. “Being unaware of unconscious biases and the impact it might have on their efficacy and reputation . . . we don’t want leaders to fall in the trap that their strengths that have helped them be successful in a specific market in the past will necessarily be as effective,” Anne-Marie said.
Understand cultural expectations for leaders – Knowing the expectations for leaders and team members is key to successfully working with them. “As a leader, understanding where your team members are from, the culture that they’re from, and even the leadership style within that culture can be very helpful,” Krista said.
Rely on data – Avoid generalizing or making assumptions about cross-cultural leadership. Well-validated personality assessments, such as Hogan’s, can provide data-driven insights to help decision-makers understand the values and behaviors that inform local, organizational, and team culture. Consider the unique personalities of individuals, and be sensitive to exceptions that may seem to subvert the norm.
Selecting and Developing Globally Minded Leaders
Organizations need to use valid personality assessments to select leaders who can manage individuals from different cultures effectively. The leaders who are most likely to promote a culture of inclusion are those who will leverage diversity, remain humble about what they know, and consider others’ backgrounds before acting. Hogan has researched inclusion competencies in leadership and can help organizations identify people who are likely to embody these qualities.
Similarly, international companies can use personality assessments to better develop their current leaders to make them more successful at managing people across cultures. “We encourage organizations to emphasize the importance of understanding the target culture’s leadership norms for cross-cultural business success,” Krista said.
Depending on the expectations of others within the organization, a leader might need to adapt their interpersonal style. For example, an American leader of a Chinese team might give indirect feedback and cause confusion, while a Chinese leader of an American team might give direct feedback and cause offense. While directness and indirectness both exist across cultures, what can vary are the cultural expectations surrounding a leader’s communication methods.
“Don’t underuse assessments,” Krista said. She encouraged organizations that conduct cross-border business to assess their organizational culture, how teams across an organization interact, and how individuals within a team interact.
“Look beyond general cultural stereotypes,” Anne-Marie said. “Invest some effort in becoming aware of your own culture’s leadership expectations and what some implications are in terms of unconscious biases. If you’re a leader, that will be very important in working with people from different backgrounds or people in general in today’s globalized market.”
Listen to this conversation in full on episode 90 of The Science of Personality. Never miss an episode by following us anywhere you get podcasts. Cheers, everybody!
Hogan founder Robert Hogan, PhD, says that by “know thyself,” the ancient Greeks weren’t talking about simple introspection. Their concept of self-knowledge meant understanding the limits of one’s performance capabilities in any given interaction.1 Similarly, Hogan’s concept of self-knowledge—called strategic self-awareness—requires understanding how others perceive us in social interaction.
When leaders fail to recognize their strengths, limitations, and values, their performance cannot meet its full potential. Their productivity and teams may suffer. Yet awareness alone is not enough. Self-awareness becomes strategic when knowledge empowers action. This means leaders must understand how those characteristics affect their reputation in context and what behaviors they can change to become more effective. At Hogan, we know that strategic self-awareness is a key driver of successful leadership performance.
To explore the impact of strategic self-awareness in talent development and leadership development, we consulted Jackie Sahm, MS, vice president of integrated solutions at Hogan. “Strategic self-awareness means determining what a personality characteristic can do for you in the context of your endeavors, not just understanding the absolute value of that characteristic,” Sahm said.
In this article, we will define strategic self-awareness, demonstrate why strategic self-awareness matters to organizations, and describe strategic self-awareness in practice.
What Is Strategic Self-Awareness?
Strategic self-awareness is the degree to which you understand your strengths and limitations and how others see you in any competitive endeavor. This complex form of self-knowledge has three key components:
Understanding strengths and opportunities for change and growth
Understanding how strengths and challenges relate to those of others
Understanding the need to adapt behavior to increase effectiveness
Strategic self-awareness is not focused on identity, which is how we view ourselves, but on reputation, which is how others perceive us. The distinction is important. In a competitive endeavor, the behaviors one may need to adapt depend on the viewpoints of others and the context.
For instance, a person with a flexible, unstructured approach to task focus tends to be tolerant of ambiguity but may also seem impulsive or disorganized. These personality characteristics might serve a user experience designer extremely well in the ideational early stages of a project. But when it is time to collaborate with front- and back-end developers, the UX designer will likely need to give greater attention to process and detail than they tend to do on an everyday basis.
Developing and applying strategic self-awareness is valuable for everyone but especially for leaders. Recognizing how one’s own behavior affects others lies at the core of effective leadership.
Why Does Strategic Self-Awareness Matter?
Hogan defines leadership as the ability to build and maintain a high-performing team. Strategic self-awareness is a critical competency for that.
But strategic self-awareness is challenging to achieve. Not only do our egos tend to deny that our reputations are imperfect, but we also often go to great lengths to conceal the truth about ourselves from ourselves. Most of us would prefer not to point out each other’s flaws either, making honest feedback difficult to obtain. This is especially true at higher levels of leadership, where a person’s rank may insulate them from hearing the truth. As well, human nature is so complex that self-awareness tends to evolve continually over time rather than occur in a single moment of mastery.
As if those obstacles weren’t tough enough, strategic self-awareness hinges on understanding how we seem to other people. Sahm describes it this way: “How is my behavior affecting others in good and bad ways? That’s at the heart of where the team comes in. Understanding what I am doing and how it affects others—making small but meaningful adjustments can transform the way that the whole team operates.”
The Detrimental Effects of Its Absence
The lack of strategic self-awareness in a leader can have a detrimental effect on teams. Sahm pointed out that a leader who is intense and energetic on an everyday basis might respond to bad news with emotional volatility or volume when under stress. To avoid the leader’s yelling, the team learns to cover up mistakes. This wastes time and damages the team’s ability to focus on work. It also means the leader makes decisions without complete information. The trickle-down effects can be severe.
Leaders who operate without strategic self-awareness can pose serious risks to the organization. Leaders who understand how they are inclined to behave under stress and learn to manage that behavior can improve productivity metrics. What’s also important is knowing when to emphasize strategic strengths or operational strengths, or when to act or rely on the skills of others. Leader versatility accounts for more than half of the variability in leader effectiveness yet is seen in fewer than 10% of leaders.2
To build an environment where leaders and teams thrive, organizations need to provide support for people to develop strategic self-awareness. Let’s look at some ways to help.
Putting It Into Practice
Before anyone can modify their behavior, they need to (1) understand their strengths and limitations, (2) understand how their strengths and challenges relate to those of others, and (3) understand what behaviors they might need to change to be more effective. Well-validated personality assessments offer a starting point.
Cultivating Strategic Self-Awareness
Personality has two major components: identity and reputation. Most of us are familiar with identity, which is the narrative we believe about ourselves. However, reputation is what determines most major career outcomes. This is why Hogan’s assessments focus on providing insights about reputation.
The Hogan personality assessments describe what we call the bright side, the dark side, and the inside of personality. The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) measures everyday strengths that help us succeed. The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) measures dark-side characteristics, also called derailers, which are strengths that may become overused during times of stress, pressure, or complacency. The Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI) describes the inside—the unconscious values and biases that determine career motivations, preferred working environments, and decision-making styles.
“Hogan is unique in that it offers this deep, true, and candid assessment of the good, the bad, and the ugly,” Sahm said. High HDS scores can reveal potentially negative characteristics that might hold someone back from effective leadership. For example, a person who is typically confident and self-assured may become arrogant, hypercompetitive, or even combative under pressure.
“A lot of times, those good and bad things are indelibly linked,” Sahm continued. “Part of what makes you special is also part of what makes you hard to live with. One of the most difficult things about strategic self-awareness is holding those two truths at the same time.”
Sahm affirmed that this is not simple. Strategic self-awareness more closely resembles a lifelong endeavor than a box to check. And although it can take time, it is possible to not only gain strategic self-awareness, but also use it to change your behavior (perhaps even shifting your reputation).
Using Strategic Self-Awareness to Set Development Goals
Support is key—a Hogan-certified coach is an invaluable resource for cultivating strategic self-awareness and applying it in development goals. With an objective perspective, a coach can demystify assessment results by helping leaders connect their Hogan insights to their unique professional contexts.
Coaches can also provide tactics to help leaders understand where to focus their development goals and establish expectations for the development process. Effective development often hinges on minor, everyday behavioral adjustments, such as remembering names to build empathy. The benefits of these efforts are cumulative positive change, such as increased trust and strengthened relationships.
Anyone whose development goals are based on strategic self-awareness should use open communication about their efforts to change. Sahm called out two effective strategies to aid development: accountability and feedback.
Accountability relies on articulating one’s need for change and an intention to adapt behaviors. Sahm demonstrated the message that accountability can send: “I acknowledge I’m an imperfect person. I have flaws. I recognize this flaw is hurting you, and I want to fix it. [Saying] this is a tremendously powerful tool in any goal setting.”
Beyond accountability, development founded on strategic self-awareness requires feedback. The development plan should identify how and when to seek feedback. This might be an annual 360-degree assessment, monthly coaching, or frequent, informal conversations with peers and subordinates. Just as a competitive athlete studies her performance to refine it, someone who sets development goals needs perspective on how their efforts are progressing. “Seeking feedback on a goal that you’ve set to improve is the only way to know if you’re moving the needle,” Sahm said.
Strategic self-awareness—understanding your strengths and limitations and how others see you in any competitive endeavor—is valuable in the workplace and in life. “Know thyself” has been sound advice for millennia for good reason.
Expert Contributor
Jackie Sahm, MS, is the vice president of integrated solutions at Hogan Assessments, where she oversees the innovation, design, delivery, and execution of Hogan’s next generation of interactive, technology-enabled assessment and development products. She has more than 15 years of experience working in the field of personality assessment, talent management, and leadership development.
It’s easy to assume that baby boomers, Gen Z, millennial, and Gen X generations all differ significantly. After all, each generation entered the workforce under drastically different conditions. But how different are they in terms of personality? The Science of Personality cohosts Ryne Sherman, PhD,and Blake Loepp dive into decades of Hogan personality data to explore generational differences in personality.
A top takeaway from the data? It’s more valuable to focus on individual differences, not generational differences.
Studying Generational Differences in Personality
We naturally wonder whether generational differences in personality exist. In our daily lives, we encounter situations that can seem to be caused by generational differences, especially between people who grew up in significantly different technological eras. We also might be curious about whether the generation that entered the workforce during COVID-19 shows personality differences.
To address common questions about how to recruit candidates or motivate employees based on their generation, the Hogan data science team conducted an internal study about generational differences.
Regarding the methodology of the study, keep in mind that Hogan has collected personality data over the past few decades. Although age is often confounded with generation, the two aren’t the same. The data science team analyzed three factors that impacted the assessment: (1) the person’s age, (2) the person’s generation, and (3) when they took the assessment. For example, someone who is age 55 and belongs to Gen X might have taken the Hogan assessments 20 years ago at age 35; these data could differ from those of people aged 55 and 35 who take the assessments today. To keep those millions of data points in line, Hogan data scientists used age-period-cohort analysis. This method of statistical analysis allows analysts to separate age effects from time-period effects from birth cohort or generation effects. “The analysis is pretty simple, but the mathematics behind it are complex,” Ryne observed.
The truth is that data don’t always support commonplace assumptions about generational differences. We might assume that adults in the youngest generation have more sexual partners—but data prove that they don’t.1 Similarly, data show that there aren’t very many generational differences in personality at all.
Changes in Personality
On average, age effects represent a very small percentage of the personality pie, between five and 10 percent. Time-period effects represent somewhere between two and five percent of the pie. Generation effects represent somewhere between one and two percent of the pie. The rest of the pie is made up of individual differences unrelated to age, time period, or generation. “That’s the core part of the self that individuals take with them wherever they go and that makes up the majority of the variability in our assessment scores,” Ryne said.
Hogan data scientists analyzed data from all three assessments: the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI), which describes everyday strengths; the Hogan Development Survey (HDS), which describes derailers, or potential shortcomings; and the Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI), which describes values, drivers, and unconscious biases. Together, these assessments draw a portrait of someone’s observable behavioral tendencies based on reputational data.
Environmental and Social Effects in Personality Data
The environment someone experienced as a young adult—a recession, depression, crisis, or pandemic—doesn’t seem to have a generational effect on personality.
Although we don’t see significant generational differences in personality assessment scores, scores can change over time. “We’ve seen a slight rise in [the HDS scale] Skeptical over the time period that the HDS has existed,” Ryne said. The Skeptical scale measures perception and insight, which can appear as cynicism or distrust when overused or unregulated. Ryne attributes this slight change to people becoming less trustful of institutions around the globe. Increased scores on Skeptical might also be related to the amount of information people are exposed to every day.
The study also revealed an increase in the MVPI Hedonism scale scores over the last two decades. The shift could stem from changes in societal attitudes about work-life balance. People around the globe might be more likely to embrace the “work hard, play hard” concept we associate with the Hedonism scale, which measures preference for fun, lighthearted, open-minded work environments. Time-period effects can affect our perceptions of generational differences; even though all people have shown increased Hedonism, people might attribute the change to younger generations only.
Age Effects in Personality Data
Personality is highly stable, even to the extent that personality in elementary school can predict adult personality 40 years later.2 Nonetheless, data show predictable changes in personality due to age.
Older people tend to score lower on average on many of the HDS scales, which is likely a sign of maturity. Describing older working adults, Ryne said, “You start finding different ways to deal with problems. Problems that you thought were a really big deal at one time aren’t actually that big of a deal. That just comes from experience.” The HPI scales and the MVPI scales show similar curvilinear effects in data, with some scale scores increasing and some decreasing over time depending on age.
Age Versus Generation Effects in Personality Data
Age effects trump generation effects. A person’s age is more likely to affect their personality than their generation is. In other words, the personality data of a baby boomer and a Gen Zer collected at the same age will show little to no difference because of generation, even though the time periods of the data may be separated by many years. “In this hypothetical world, 21-year-olds look like 21-year-olds, 40-year-olds look like 40-year-olds, 60-year-olds look like 60-year-olds—that’s just part of what it means to mature,” Ryne said.
When a person completes Hogan’s personality assessments, their results are scored using a global norm, which is a dataset collected from working adults around the world. This diverse sample is representative of the global working population. Up to 53 percent of the sample are under age 40, and about 47 percent are age 40 or older.
Hogan’s data show that early-career workers tend to be somewhat more emotional, bold, daring, and risk taking, on average. These personality strengths are likely to benefit someone with less work experience. In someone further advanced in their career, those same characteristics might seem immature or irresponsible. It makes sense for people to adapt their behavior as their roles change over time.
Takeaways from the Generational Differences Study
Hogan Assessments can provide a definitive answer to the question of generational differences in personality. “We’ve got millions of cases. In fact, there are no generational differences,” Ryne said.
What people want is not driven by belonging to a specific generation. If anything, it can be mildly affected by age. Adults entering the workforce today have characteristics in common with their baby boomer counterparts when the baby boomers were beginning their own careers. People who want to know how to recruit today’s generation should recall their own career goals when entering the workforce—such as stability with opportunity for development. However, neither generation nor age effects are the most significant factor in personality.
The greatest part of our personality comes from individual differences. Treating people as individuals rather than as members of a generation is the best approach in work and in life.
“Ignore generation. Ignore age,” Ryne said. “To me, it’s all about that individual focus.”
Listen to this conversation in full on episode 89 of The Science of Personality. Never miss an episode by following us anywhere you get podcasts. Cheers, everybody!
References
Twenge, J. M., Sherman, R. A., & Wells, B. E. (2017). Declines in Sexual Frequency among American Adults, 1989-2014. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(8), 2389–2401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-0953-1
Hampson, S. E., & Goldberg, L. R. (2006). A First Large-Cohort Study of Personality-Trait Stability Over the 40 Years Between Elementary School and Midlife. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91(4), 763–779. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.91.4.763
When demands on productivity escalate while resource availability and team sizes shrink, the pressure to do more with less fuels stress. With daily stress reaching an all-time high for the second year in a row, employee burnout remains a global challenge.1
Although burnout is the result of unmanaged chronic workplace stress,2 it’s not an exclusively individual problem. It’s also an organizational phenomenon with organizational causes and remedies. Due to this complexity, among other reasons, burnout is not a simple issue to address. Still, many talent professionals are tasked with the challenge of retaining and engaging burned-out workers—sometimes while facing burnout themselves.
Read on to discover causes of employee burnout, individual differences in burnout, and how personality can help with recognizing and managing employee burnout.
Causes of Employee Burnout
Two of the greatest causes of employee burnout have to do with organizational environment and expectations. Employees experiencing a toxic workplace environment are more likely to report burnout and leave their employers.3 Behaviors that contribute to a toxic workplace environment include the abusive, discriminatory, or unethical speech and actions of leaders and peers. Another driver of burnout is the systemic imbalance that causes organizational demands to exceed individual resources, such as when layoffs reduce team size without any adjustment to the team’s required work product.3 This condition leads to unreasonable expectations, overwork, and heightened stress for employees. These issues lie within the responsibility and control of organizations.
While the causes of employee burnout are often organizational, individual differences in personality can explain how burnout affects behavior. This is why understanding personality is an important metric in understanding burnout. Insights from certain well-validated personality assessments can help leaders, coaches, and talent professionals assist organizations in recognizing burnout.
Individual Differences in Employee Burnout
Although burnout can happen to anyone, how likely, quickly, or noticeably burnout might happen varies by person.
Two of Hogan’s three personality assessments can help explain who is most likely to burn out and what kind of behaviors they are likely to exhibit during burnout. The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) provides data about seven bright-side personality characteristics, which are the qualities that facilitate a person’s ability to get along with others and achieve goals. The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) assesses 11 dark-side personality characteristics, or derailers. Dark-side personality characteristics are typically strengths that, when overused, can interfere with professional reputations and careers. Overuse of these behaviors tends to occur when a person stops self-managing due to stress, overwhelm, complacency, or burnout.
Hogan researchers have identified relationships between burnout and scores on the HPI and HDS assessments. Specifically, low scores across the seven HPI scales correlate to burnout, and eight of the 11 HDS scales correlate to burnout.
Hogan Personality Inventory
All the HPI scales were significantly and negatively associated with burnout. The higher that people scored on an HPI scale, the less they reported burnout. Put another way, greater experiences of burnout were related to lower scores on HPI scales. Since it’s typical for people to have at least one low HPI scale, these results affirm that burnout can happen to anyone. If someone seems burned-out, their lower HPI scores could offer insight. Knowing the relationship between personality characteristics and burnout, talent professionals can help people better understand the factors contributing to their burnout.
To put this into perspective, Hogan research demonstrates that low scores on the Adjustment and Ambition scales have the strongest correlations to burnout among all the HPI scales. For instance, someone with a low Adjustment score may be more stress prone and less resilient. If they feel burned-out, they might need to reflect on whether they’ve been experiencing a lot of recent changes and stress. As another example, someone with a low Ambition score may prefer to pursue realistic goals versus difficult challenges. They might need to reflect on whether they’ve been challenged with leadership situations at work beyond their comfort zone.
Hogan Development Survey
Dark-side characteristics are also associated with burnout.4 Of the HDS’s 11 scales, scores high on the Excitable and Cautious scales but low on the Bold scale are most strongly correlated to burnout.5
Unlike the HPI correlations, the HDS correlations are not all negative. Some HDS scales were positively related to burnout, particularly in the Moving Away cluster of scales. This cluster includes Excitable, Skeptical, Cautious, Reserved, and Leisurely. During derailment, people who score high in the Moving Away cluster tend to withdraw from others. They might act emotionally temperamental, suspicious, risk averse, aloof, or resentful. Among the Moving Away scales, high scores on the Excitable and Cautious scales showed the strongest correlations to burnout:
High Excitable – The Excitable scale relates to passion, energy, and drive; however, that same passion can also contribute to burnout.6 The Excitable scale is strongly correlated with the HPI Adjustment scale. This further demonstrates that individuals who have difficulty managing stress and emotions may report greater experiences of burnout.
High Cautious – The Cautious scale relates to risk aversion and fear of failure. This HDS scale correlates with HPI Ambition, supporting the notion that individuals who are less comfortable making decisions and taking initiative are more likely to report greater experiences of burnout.
On the other hand, significant negative correlations to burnout appeared in the cluster of scales called Moving Against. This cluster includes Bold, Mischievous, Colorful, and Imaginative. Those who score high in the Moving Against cluster tend to overengage with others. They can seem excessively confident, risk taking, attention seeking, or eccentric. Among the Moving Against scales, Bold, Colorful, and Imaginative showed significant negative correlations to burnout. A negative correlation indicates those with high scores on these scales may be less likely to report burnout, whereas those with low scores may be more likely. Of the three scales, low scores on the Bold scale showed the strongest correlation to burnout:
Low Bold – As an everyday strength, Bold relates to confidence and assertiveness. During derailment, those who score high on the Bold scale tend to seem aggressive, ambitious, and arrogant. Their belief in their abilities can contribute to a high level of resilience, which might mitigate feelings of burnout.5 Therefore, someone with a low Bold score who lacks confidence may be more likely to report greater experiences of burnout.
Burnout might not always be visible. Especially among people with Moving Away derailers, burnout can be difficult for even seasoned talent professionals to detect. Organizations should be proactive about remedying systemic factors in burnout and ensuring their cultures support employee well-being.
How to Manage Employee Burnout
Because burnout is associated with increased mental distance from work,2 the ensuing disengagement can be expensive. Absenteeism and decreased productivity from disengaged employees can cost organizations 34% of each burned-out worker’s annual salary.7 Organizational intervention is essential to rescue employees from the occupational phenomenon that is damaging to both well-being and profitability.
Such interventions include gathering personality data and educating the workforce about personality characteristics and burnout. Leaders especially need to recognize signs of burnout and build work environments in which burnout is a safe topic of discussion.
Communication
Another meaningful intervention is transparent communication. This is a two-part endeavor. One element is to acknowledge that the nature of work has recently changed and that we all are likely to continue to perform work in a VUCA environment (that is, a work environment characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity). The other element is to set realistic expectations for leaders and workers so that employee daily stress can decrease from its current global level of 44%.1
Surveys
Implementing an engagement survey to ask employees what they need and want can also help organizations apply targeted interventions. For example, by using a combination of survey data and personality assessment data, a healthcare organization learned that one category of practitioners desired more recognition. By understanding that group’s particular values and drivers, the organization was able to be direct and specific in its remedy of providing public acknowledgement.
Leadership Development
One of the best interventions for burnout is to invest in leadership development. Effective leaders build and maintain high-performing teams by promoting strategic self-awareness in themselves and team members. Understanding the role of personality in the workplace can reveal how leaders themselves react to stress and pressure. Those same leader personality characteristics, such as coping with stress or taking initiative, have a huge effect on workplace culture and employee well-being.
In these and other interventions, personality data are key to knowing how to support and retain burned-out workers and leaders. If layoffs do reduce team size, for example, leaders who recognize the personality strengths and limitations of their team members will more effectively redefine goals and reallocate work. They will also be vigilant for and sensitive to different signals of stress from individual team members.
Don’t wait for burnout to arise. Find out how your organization can prioritize a culture of employee well-being.
Harms, P., Marbut, A., Johnston, A., Lester, P., & Fezzey, T. (December, 2022). Exposing The Darkness Within: A Review of Dark Personality Traits, Models, and Measures and Their Relationship to Insider Threats. Journal of Information Security and Applications, 71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jisa.2022.103378
Treglown, L., Palaiou, K., Zarola, A., & Furnham, A. (2016). The Dark Side of Resilience and Burnout: A Moderation-Mediation Model. PloS one, 11(6). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0156279
Hogan, R., & Sherman, R. (2022, 19 May). Dark Leadership and the Fate of Organizations. In Derek Lusk & Theodore L. Hayes (Eds.), Overcoming Bad Leadership in Organizations (pp. 17-49). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197552759.003.0002
Recently on The Science of Personality, Roberto Affonso Santos, owner and managing director at Ateliê RH, an authorized Hogan distributor in Brazil, shared his research comparing the personality characteristics of Brazilian managers to those of global managers. Roberto also asked ChatGPT 4.0 to describe Brazilian managers, then compared the AI-generated description to Hogan data. His findings from the study call into question both ChatGPT and human assumptions about leadership in Brazil. Let’s take a look.
Researching Leadership in Brazil
The origin of this study emerged from two converging points: Hogan’s 2023 global norm update and ChatGPT’s explosion of popularity.
First, Roberto decided to compare data about Brazilian managers to global data. “I found more divergence than convergence,” he observed. Then, Roberto asked ChatGPT to list the characteristics of Brazilian managers. “To my surprise, it gave a list of elements that are stereotypes about resilience that you hear from people in other countries,” he said.
These results reaffirm that ChatGPT is not a fact-finding machine. Its response about Brazilian managers is based on data contaminated with stereotypes about Brazil.
Personality Characteristics of Brazilian Managers: ChatGPT vs. Hogan Data
Large language models such as ChatGPT are not reliable sources of facts about the personality characteristics of Brazilian managers (or any other group, for that matter). Insights about personality should instead come from validated personality data.
ChatGPT: ‘Flexible and Adaptable’
ChatGPT described Brazilian managers as flexible and adaptable. The Brazilian economic, social, and political spheres can be unpredictable. Thus, the description matches a common perception that leadership in Brazil requires being adaptable to changing environments. “This was not confirmed by Hogan data,” Roberto said.
Hogan data described Brazilian managers as rule following, conservative, change resistant, risk averse, and less imaginative compared to global managers. It also indicated they prefer stability and security. How can these differences be?
When data do not match our expectations, we first evaluate whether our expectations are built on stereotypes. What assumptions or biases might influence what we expect? We can also explore how the data compares with other facts by investigating the contrasts that might affect our perceptions. “When we put that contrast on, we see things a little bit differently,” said Ryne Sherman, PhD.
In this case, ChatGPT is trained on a body of text from publicly available sources on the internet—sources that can (and do) include biased information. Its responses are based on that text. By contrast, the Hogan data about Brazilian managers are filtered against the personality data of other managers via Hogan’s global norm. The global norm is a set of personality assessment data that is representative of working adults around the globe, across industries, and across demographics. “With [Hogan’s] global norm, we are getting to the core of human differences,” Roberto pointed out.
ChatGPT: ‘Enthusiastic, Passionate, and Charismatic’
ChatGPT also described Brazilian managers as enthusiastic, passionate, and charismatic. That description didn’t align with Hogan data either. “Brazilian managers are often described by others as being extraverted, expressive, charming, persuasive, and using strong emotional commitment to engage others,” Roberto said.
Hogan data described Brazilian managers, compared to global managers, as less affiliative, less desirous of social interactions, less sociable, and less extraverted. Global managers also tended to be higher in charismatic traits that can create immediate interpersonal impact.
Not only does Brazil have a different official and national language than other South American nations, but it also has many regional cultural differences that can diverge from stereotypes. Generalizations about personality characteristics, such as those generated by ChatGPT, often stem from unfounded perceptions of “national character.” In fact, very little data exist to support these stereotypes.
Roberto gave an illustration to demonstrate the pitfalls of assuming that all Brazilians conform to the classic Latin American stereotype of passion and charm. A hiring manager at a multinational company interviewed a candidate for leadership in Brazil but initially rejected the candidate because they didn’t seem to have charisma.
“There’s an expectation that Brazilians should be expressive, great impact, great charisma,” Roberto said. “When that doesn’t show up, it frustrates people.” Roberto explained to the hiring manager that some Brazilians build their impact with time, not on the first impression. After a second interview, the Brazilian leader was hired—and they became a vice president in the company.
Other Personality Differences of Brazilian Managers
Compared to other managers globally, Brazilian managers’ scores differed on a few scales across Hogan’s three personality assessments: the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI), Hogan Development Survey (HDS), and Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI). Specifically, Brazilian managers had lower scores on MVPI Hedonism, higher scores on HPI Interpersonal Sensitivity, and higher scores on HDS Bold. (These characteristics also conflict with the ChatGPT description of Brazilian managers.)
Lower Hedonism – Brazilian people may have the general reputation of being soccer, beach, and festival lovers, but Brazilian managers scored lower than their global colleagues on the Hedonism scale. Roberto said they seek to avoid risks and follow rules, valuing professional, formal work environments.
Higher Interpersonal Sensitivity – Brazilian managers tend to have a relational and collaborative nature with good listening skills, empathy, and concern for others. This everyday strength can sometimes cause Brazilian managers to avoid confrontation, direct communication, or tough conversations. “We tend to sugarcoat an issue not to hurt others,” Roberto observed.
Higher Bold – Despite tending to be less assertive in their day-to-day professional lives, Brazilian managers showed a higher score on the Bold scale of the HDS. The HDS describes derailers, which are behaviors that emerge during stress or complacency. In this case, a high Bold score can indicate that someone might seem entitled, arrogant, and overconfident when they stop self-monitoring.
Avoiding Bias in People Decisions
“ChatGPT tends to base its responses on common sense, popular publications, stereotypes,” Roberto said. If ChatGPT were to make a candidate selection decision based on its assumptions about Brazilian managers or leadership in Brazil, it would be susceptible to similar biases as a human interviewer.
Comparing AI-generated descriptions to Hogan data can be very revealing about the differences in popular perceptions and scientifically measurable reality. Errors in this regard can often lead people astray and create conflict, which is why accurate, reliable, and valid personality assessment data are essential.
Simply put, AI-generated information is no replacement for sound science. “I tend to rely much more on the objective, impartial, scientifically validated measures that we have,” Roberto said.
Listen to this conversation in full on episode 88 of The Science of Personality. Never miss an episode by following us anywhere you get podcasts. Cheers, everybody!
Hogan is excited to announce Personality Guidance AG as the newest member of the Hogan International Distributors Network, covering the market for personality assessments in Switzerland.
Headquartered in Zürich, Personality Guidance offers talent acquisition and talent development solutions, as well as coaching and team development. The organization was founded in April 2021 by CEO and longtime Hogan practitioner, Nicole Neubauer. Neubauer has been active in the Swiss market since 2005.
“Nicole has a been strong Hogan advocate for nearly two decades, combining her wealth of expertise in personality psychology with an unwavering commitment to helping organizations thrive,” said Hogan CEO Wendy Howell Hogan. “She has a proven track record of success, and we look forward to the big things she has planned with this new endeavor.”
The team Neubauer has assembled at Personality Guidance has an in-depth knowledge of the Swiss market, in both the German-speaking Deutschschweiz region and the French-speaking Romandy region. Personality Guidance will be delivering Hogan certification workshops in Zürich, Lausanne, and Geneva.
“With my experience as a Hogan distributor for more than fifteen years, Personality Guidance will be a strong voice for Hogan in the very dynamic Swiss market and its Swiss Market Index companies,” said Neubauer. “But there are also many thousands of very successful small and medium companies in Switzerland that are niche players on the global market and have great potential to become new Hogan clients.”
As Hogan’s authorized distributor in Switzerland, Personality Guidance advises on placement, selection, and development decisions. The company’s top priority is always to find a custom solution that focuses on individual personality and contributions to a company or organization.
Cryptozoology is the study of animals whose existence is disputed or unsubstantiated. About the existence of bigfoot, Cliff said, “It’s easy to believe in things that are real. All you have to do is start looking at the evidence that’s been collected and decide for yourself.” He encouraged podcast listeners to be skeptical and fact-check his statements.
Cliff explained the common characteristics of cryptozoologists and the current state of Sasquatch evidence and research, including his own experience searching for bigfoot.
The Characteristics of Cryptozoologists
The goal of cryptozoology is to study undiscovered animals and verify their reality, introducing them to the scientific community. “Every year, dozens and dozens of amphibians and reptiles and even mammals are recognized by science for the very first time,” Cliff said.
Cryptozoology is a large field globally, but bigfoot research is smaller, with perhaps a dozen serious practitioners. Cliff’s interest in the so-called “hairy hominoids” or “mystery apes” originated in college when he read publications by cultural anthropologists about North American apes. This inspired him to conduct additional academic and field research, for which he is now known internationally.
A common personality characteristic of cryptozoologists is perseverance to the point of stubbornness. Cliff observed that skeptics and debunkers tease or ridicule this level of commitment. Another common characteristic of cryptozoologists is self-belief. This strong conviction in the face of others’ doubts can sometimes seem like arrogance. Cliff called himself eccentric but reasonable, inclined to prove things himself, rather than rely on the expertise of others.
People who aren’t interested in cryptozoology tend to believe media portrayals of the unsubstantiated animals. They are unaware of the evidence and may lack the drive to interrogate their assumptions. “It’s like their belief system is a nest that they feel comfortable in and don’t like being brought out of,” Cliff said. He considers himself to be an amateur scientist, tasked to disprove his own claims. “If you can prove yourself wrong in science, that’s a victory,” he added.
Bigfoot Fact and Fiction
Few cryptozoologists are liars because the field receives such rigorous scrutiny. A handful of notable fakes have persisted for several years or decades, but overall, evidence of bigfoot is verifiable and persuasive.
Scientific Evidence
Numerous eminent academics have published studies and books about North American apes. Cliff named Grover Krantz, PhD, one of the first anthropologists to write about bigfoot; John Bindernagel, PhD, wildlife biologist and author of The Discovery of Bigfoot; and Jeff Meldrum, PhD, an anatomist who specializes in primate feet.
Historic Evidence
Nearly every indigenous North American tribe from Florida to Alaska has traditional stories about giant, hairy people living in the woods. They are likely true stories, not fictitious. Cliff explained that truths from paleoanthropology can be applied to cryptozoology: evolution is not linear. “Different forms [of a species] coexist, many of them in the same landscape at the same time and place,” he said.
Within the last 100,000 years—which is a short time span in evolutionary terms—multiple types of hominin coexisted. (Hominin refers to all living and extinct species on the human branch of the evolutionary tree.) “Right now, scientists believe that we have discovered less than 2 percent of all the different species that have ever existed. How many more hominin species are left to be discovered?” Cliff said, mentioning two found within the last decade.
That’s what Sasquatches likely are—relics of an undiscovered hominin species. “There’s probably a handful of these things still existing on the planet,” he said.
Photographic Evidence
Video, film, photographs, and drawings paired with tracks and fossils all contribute to recent evidence in favor of bigfoot.
The Patterson–Gimlin film is famous 1967 footage of a tall, bipedal, hairy figure that seems to be a Sasquatch. The film of “Patty” has been extensively analyzed, along with casting taken of the footprints found at the site. Cliff described Patty as clearly detailed in the images, about 10 or 15 years old, and likely quite intelligent based on tracking data of her movements in the area.
Eyewitness Evidence
“The best reports are the ones with multiple eyewitnesses and physical evidence found at the scene,” Cliff said. Reporting accuracy often relies on how good an observer and communicator the eyewitness is, as well as the skill of the researcher or investigator.
Cliff also told the story of his encounter with a bigfoot. Near the colloquially named Bigfoot Creek in California, Cliff and his partner were conducting field research. They heard a large animal coming down the creek bed. Through the thick foliage, they perceived it to be bipedal. It stopped about 60 feet away, snapped a 70- to 80-foot-tall alder tree, then moved quickly away upstream. “They’re very large, potentially dangerous animals. It was a shock to me,” he said.
The State of Bigfoot Research
Apes and humans tend to be group-living species. Cryptozoology research on bigfoot social structure suggests parallels to that of orangutans—that is, half a dozen or so females and offspring living together within a narrow geographic area and solitary, wandering males. The rarity of Sasquatches limits cryptozoologists’ ability to study them. This might also explain why individuals rather than groups tend to be observed and tracked.
Like other apes, individual Sasquatches would likely have individual personalities informed by their life experiences. A Sasquatch that has lived near a human community might demonstrate curiosity. Yet a Sasquatch that has been shot at might be more averse to human proximity and might even become aggressive.
Cliff discussed the method of proving the existence of any animal species. Until the very recent past, a holotype specimen was obtained, meaning a dead animal. “I think that, with Sasquatches, it’ll come down to a dead one because of the resistance of scientists to accept the animals as being real based on the current evidence,” he said.
A chance exists, however, that a new formal DNA study will help identify unknown hominin species. “If Sasquatch are hominins as I suspect, maybe we can prove these things to be real without killing one. Killing every species we come across just to prove our own curiosity is correct shows who the real monsters are,” Cliff said.
Listen to this conversation in full on episode 87 of The Science of Personality. Never miss an episode by following us anywhere you get podcasts. Cheers, everybody!
Since 2020, year-over-year demand on HR budget expenditures has become greater than ever. US compensation costs have grown steadily,1 inflation has increased,2 but HR budgets have decreased significantly.3 As a result, organizations need to use their (or their clients’) talent development budgets efficiently and effectively. So how can you ensure your company’s talent development strategy creates value?
To find out, we consulted two experts from the Hogan Coaching Network. Rebecca Feder, MBA, is the principal at Princeton HR Insight LLC, and Jayson Blair is the managing partner at Goose Creek Coaching and Consulting. They shared their views about and experience with the talent development landscape, as well as some best practices for maximizing talent development budgets.
A key element in successful talent development budget strategy is having the right mindset about what you want to accomplish. “HR processes need to be business processes,” said Feder. “We think of [HR] as an extracurricular too often. You’ve got to spend the time and energy the same way you do with other business processes. You just can’t do it half-baked.” Optimizing the time, effort, and finances invested in your talent development program starts with acknowledging the role of talent in your overall business strategy.
Keep reading to find out how this strategic approach to talent development can equip you to retain your current talent, promote from within, and confidently set long-term talent strategy.
What Is Talent Development, Exactly?
What is “talent development,” exactly? How does it differ from leadership development? And who is it for?
At its broadest, talent development is a set of tools and strategies designed to foster employee learning, growth, and development, with intended outcomes that include engagement, productivity, results, and organizational performance. Occasionally, talent development is used to prepare someone for a specific role. For instance, if Kris sets a career goal to become director of customer engagement, their organization might offer them development opportunities such as stretch assignments, formal learning, or peer coaching.
Leadership development, more specifically, is the process of improving the leadership capabilities of individuals and organizations. In Hogan’s perspective, leadership development necessitates the assessment of individual strengths and challenges to create the strategic self-awareness required to know what capabilities need the most attention. Then, leaders practice new skills to modify their behavior with the ultimate objective of improving both team and organizational outcomes.
People expect and desire development. Of the 59% of global workers who are not engaged—that is, those who some might call quiet quitters—41% said they would change their workplace’s engagement strategies or culture, including more opportunities to learn.4
Critically, this desire for development extends beyond individual contributors. Early-intervention leadership development is an outstanding retention strategy for middle managers, as well as for their teams. For the 93% of organizations prioritizing retention,5 one way to show managers they are valuable and worth the investment is to encourage their development as leaders. Managers who have opportunities to develop also improve retention and performance among their team members.
Both Blair and Feder advised organizations to start any development strategy by collecting data. Well-validated personality assessments provide the most equitable and actionable data.
How Does Personality Assessment Maximize Talent Development Budgets?
Personality assessment data can lay the foundation for a variety of talent and leadership development initiatives, such as tailoring development plans for key talent, identifying high potentials, creating or developing teams, succession planning, executive coaching, and more. Given the pressure for HR leaders to do more with less spending, implementing assessment-based development opportunities throughout the organization can be an effective strategy, helping to advance other objectives. Ultimately, the best way to use personality assessments to maximize a talent development budget will vary based on the organization’s unique goals.
Let’s look at a couple of possible approaches.
Uncover Hidden Potential
First, personality assessment can help to identify hidden potential that might otherwise go unnoticed. Feder provided an example of how using personality assessments throughout the organization can help to fill a leadership role with hidden potential from an unexpected place. One of her clients used personality data to place the company’s lawyer into a general manager role. That person had the intellectual curiosity, among other ideal characteristics, to apply their knowledge of chemistry and law to fill a unique need. Feder called them “unstoppable” when supported by people who understood the company’s financial strategy. Personality data allowed the company to maximize the investment it had already made in developing the lawyer, as well as to supplement that person’s leadership with team members whose commercial skills were stronger.
Jumpstart Leadership Development
Middle managers are often overlooked in leadership development initiatives, despite their impact on business performance and increasingly strategic roles.6 Development plans informed by personality assessments can help these midlevel leaders strengthen the skills they need to move toward higher leadership positions. Blair emphasized that developing middle managers can be more cost-effective than hiring a leader externally. Data suggest that the average cost per hire is about $4,700, but employers often find that the hiring process can triple or even quadruple the salary for the position.7 In contrast, development is markedly less expensive, with average costs falling at $1,267 per employee in 2021.8
Moreover, this approach can help prevent leadership failure, which occurs at a rate between 50 and 75 percent.9 Personality assessment can help managers understand the strengths they need to leverage, their shortcomings and derailment risks, and their motivations and biases. With early development opportunities based on their assessment results, they can begin cultivating strategic self-awareness to avoid future derailment. Blair noted that organizations may find it much more expensive to develop executives who have shifted off course than to be proactive about helping rising leaders jumpstart development. “You can spend the $10,000 now or the $1,000,000 later,” he said. In other words, prioritizing development opportunities is often more economical than waiting for development needs to arise.
When HR processes are viewed as business processes, talent development budgets will be built wisely with due time, energy, and money. Making your spend reach farther than it has before is essential, especially considering the latest trends.
What Are Talent Development Trends?
Talent development should be regarded as a long-term solution for retention, engagement, leadership, and culture. Because talent development affects business performance, strategic organizations craft their talent development budgets carefully.
Talent Development Budget Trends
Maximizing your talent development budget partly relies on responding well to HR budget trends. HR leaders should expect a smaller budget overall with less to spend on talent development. A common allocation of budget for talent development is one to five percent of salary or one to two percent of revenue, although this wide range varies significantly by industry and role.10 Outside of HR, competition for budget is likely to come from sales or other departments with more visible or immediate impact, Blair said. Within HR, competition for talent development spend is likely to come from talent acquisition or executive coaching, Feder said.
At first, organizations should expect to invest roughly equally in development and acquisition. In the short term, they will see talent acquisition costs decline as they learn to maximize their talent development budget. Eventually, they will likely spend more on development than on acquisition, optimizing their current talent instead of constantly seeking new hires.
Talent Development Strategy Trends
Feder and Blair each shared conceptual trends that they have noticed in talent strategies since 2020. Blair described an hourglass-shaped talent development strategy, and Feder described leadership development cohorts for middle managers. These success stories demonstrate some of the returns on investing in talent development—as well as why a common piece of feedback from people who have had Hogan assessment and coaching is “I wish I had known this earlier in my career.”
Development Cohorts – One of Feder’s clients invested in a middle management development program by creating three cohorts out of approximately 90 directors and vice presidents. Each cohort learned about intentional leadership and received customized learning exercises based on their results from the Hogan personality assessments. Senior leadership supported them by helping them protect their time for coaching and reaching their development commitments. These leaders quickly began to communicate better with each other using a shared language from Hogan data, which permeated the company. “That shifts culture,” Feder declared.
The Hourglass – Development shouldn’t end at the executive level. If an executive’s vice presidents, directors, and managers are not on board with the strategy, they can become roadblocks to success. Blair rolls out development in a tiered system, beginning with executive development and spreading out to critical teams. He builds multiple versions of a talent and leadership development program, tailored according to the organizational level. “By doing that, we are able to have more impactful change more quickly,” he said. Organizations must be willing to spend equally on development for high-potential employees as for the C-suite—that’s the hourglass.
Why Does Talent Development Matter?
Talent development matters for many reasons. Here are two that should stand out to companies seeking to maximize their talent development budgets.
Talent development promotes retention. Organizations that emphasize learning by providing an annual average of 75 hours of talent development per employee retain employees 5% more and promote employees 7% more than those that don’t.11
Talent development promotes engagement. Forty-one percent of employees who quit name a lack of career development and advancement as their main reason.11 Remember, pushing the leadership development experience lower in the organizational chart can uncover hidden potential and aid succession planning.
Blair gave one of the strongest reasons to prioritize talent development: “There’s a real opportunity to make organizations more effective and make the lives of employees much better if people really, truly take the time and effort to invest in the development of their talent across their organization, both vertically and horizontally. The democratization of talent development is healthier for organizations than perhaps anything else we could do right now.”
Talent development helps both organizations and employees thrive. Even though the slice of budgetary pie may be shrinking, there is more appetite than ever for the benefits of investing in and maximizing talent development.
We thank our contributors for sharing their experience in using Hogan’s personality assessments to help organizations maximize their talent development strategies:
Jayson Blair is the managing partner at Goose Creek Coaching and Consulting and a member of the Hogan Coaching Network.
Rebecca Feder, MBA, is the principal at Princeton HR Insight LLC and a member of the Hogan Coaching Network.
Hogan, R. (1994). Trouble at the Top: Causes and Consequences of Managerial Incompetence. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 46(1), 9–15. https://doi.org/10.1037/1061-4087.46.1.9
What characteristics do ufologists tend to have? Who is likely to report sightings of UFOs? How long has humanity been interested in unidentified flying objects, anyway?
“The boundaries, historically speaking, between the abnormal and the paranormal are porous,” Greg observed. “When societies assess supernatural claims, decisions and judgments are being made as to what is a socially acceptable experience and what is not.”
In this episode, Greg covers the psychology of ufologists (and deniers), the history of ufology, what makes a claim legitimate and credible, and the type of UFO eyewitness he finds most persuasive.
The Personalities of Ufologists
In researching the history of UFOs, Greg has seen that people who tend to become amateur experts in UFOs are excellent investigators of the unexplained. Both groups, for and against, have similar social backgrounds and certain common values. Ufologists tend to be middle-class white males who are highly educated and interested in science and engineering. They also tend to be voracious readers and belong to certain geographical areas, such as the Pacific coast of the US.
Regarding values, the crusading ufologist and classic debunker share a moral imperative to educate people about reality. “Both see themselves as these protectors of the common good of public welfare by exposing truth and exposing deceit,” Greg said. They differ as to their motives: providing evidence of alien existence, identifying UFOs as natural phenomena or human hoaxes, supporting a religious belief system, or otherwise.
Confirmation bias, the tendency to look for information that supports our existing beliefs and values, affects the psychology of ufologists, whether academic, amateur, or bystander. For instance, UFO sightings tend to occur in waves, or intense periods with a dramatically higher number of sightings in a particular place. One explanation for UFO waves might be confirmation bias, Greg said. People who hope to witness unidentified flying objects might well do so.
The History of UFO Sightings
“People across the world have been seeing strange things in the sky since recorded history,” Greg said. Some of the sightings may have been comets, meteor showers, or atmospheric phenomena that were unknown at the time. Many were interpreted as divine communications or omens.
Greg explained that the modern concept of the alien flying saucer originated in the summer of 1947. An American private pilot flying over Washington State saw several objects moving quickly through the air in formation. When questioned by journalists, he described the objects’ movement as being similar to a saucer skipping over some water. Thus, the term “flying saucer” originated through media coverage.
Since the 1940s, UFOs have taken a range of shapes, including triangles, globes, pinwheels, and cigars. The most common type of UFO is light in the sky that lasts just a couple of seconds. People are likely attracted to the UFO phenomenon because of the vague, fleeting, and mysterious appearance—and disappearance—of the objects. In the 1950s, many people responded to news of flying saucer sightings by claiming the dawn of an age of harmony and peace with aliens from space. This interpretation is comparable to that of ancient people seeking otherworldly messages in the sky.
UFO Witness Credibility
Among reports of UFO sightings, legitimacy and credibility are not the same. “Witness descriptions can be largely accurate, but they can be incomplete when it comes to being true,” Greg said. The atmospheric phenomenon called a sun dog, which causes two bright spots to appear on either side of the sun, sometimes accompanied by a halo, has been often misidentified as a UFO. Historical witnesses of sun dogs described them accurately but erroneously attributed them to alien presence.
“Outsiders make judgments not about the sighting, but about the reliability and even the character of the person reporting the sighting,” he said. “Witness sightings often devolve into personality assessments and personal attacks.”
Since the 1940s and ‘50s, flying saucers have been associated with extraterrestrial life. A negative stereotype holds that witnesses of UFOs must also believe in aliens. This connection between UFOs and aliens has likely deterred reporting of UFOs by people who didn’t want to be stigmatized.
Statistical data about UFO sightings are only reports of sightings. It is highly likely that most sightings go officially unreported. The data we do have are biased by the fact that people must be willing to report and know where to report. The authorities who take the reports factor in the accuracy of the data too. Without a dedicated office or agency to collect the data, people tend to report UFO sightings to local police, who might not take the information seriously enough to pass on to another body. Unofficial reporting to local UFO groups can be inconsistent or inaccurate. “We don’t have a lot of good information on sightings because of this process,” Greg said.
UFOs: More Questions Than Answers
People who report encounters with either UFOs or aliens are often puzzled and troubled about their experience. Instead of always attributing the anomalous occurrence to aliens, they will sometimes say they are not convinced about what they saw or felt. They might refer to divine entities or altered states of consciousness.
Ufologists can be affected by the same social stigma as UFO witnesses. It’s as if anyone who asks questions about UFOs is seen as attention-seeking, dramatic, and irrational. Yet despite this stereotype, sincere UFO witnesses, ufologists, and debunkers want to find answers to their questions about UFOs.
Regarding the recent congressional hearings about UFOs, Greg said, “Discussions about UFOs are often not about UFOs.” He mentioned classification of information and funding exploitation as topics that overshadow the issue of UFO identification. He also thinks it unlikely that world governments would be able to conceal the presence of UFOs successfully because of the vigilance and skill of civilian scientific organizations.
Interest in the unknown, unexplained, and unidentified should be encouraged. “The way people have understood them [paranormal phenomena] has changed over time—and that’s fun to see,” Greg said.
Listen to this conversation in full on episode 86 of The Science of Personality. Never miss an episode by following us anywhere you get podcasts. Cheers, everybody!
