*This is a guest post authored by Annette Czernik, senior consultant at RELEVANT Managementberatung.

This year’s Coaching Day 2019, an international two-day congress for the coaching industry, was held November 15 and 16 in Munich, Germany. Once again, the event focused on future-oriented topics relating to agility, digitalization, and leadership. The diverse program was designed by the International Coach Federation (ICF) Germany with various speakers, experts, and insiders. RELEVANT Managementberatung was involved in different ways.

Panel Discussion

The panelists on the panel “Coaching & Digitalization – Opportunities, Threats & Ethical Aspects” discussed the introduction of digitalization into the coaching process in a very controversial way. There was a lot of curiosity but also restraint and resistance.

ICF Germany Prism Award

One of the highlights of Coaching Day 2019 was the presentation of the second Prism Award of ICF Germany, sponsored by RELEVANT. You can read about the importance of the ICF Prism Award here.

The Prism Award 2019 went to Adidas and Vodafone for their outstanding coaching programs. The jury’s special prize, awarded for the first time this year, went to Volkswagen for its differentiated system of interlocking coaching offerings, which was recognized as the “lighthouse of the industry.”

In his laudation to Adidas, René Kusch, PhD, said, “Other coaching programs can learn a lot from Adidas. In the competition for the German Prism Award, the jury particularly emphasized your commitment to the evaluation of the seemingly soft topic ‘coaching process.’ You have calculated the return on investment of your measure at 130%. Even if numerics cannot always take everything into consideration, numbers are the language that secures our community a place at the table of line managers. Your program is a great example of how coaching can make a real difference.”

Dr. Kusch praised Vodafone’s coaching program: “Vodafone is part of the spearhead of digitization in Germany. Your presentation will give us a glimpse of how Vodafone is helping to shape technological progress — perhaps we should say technological revolution. You are the first to put [5G] into operation. What is possible with it all fascinates me. Among other things, it is one of the prerequisites for autonomous vehicles. You have just teamed up with UnityMedia. The mobile phone industry is undergoing considerable upheaval. Your concept Coaching @ Vodafone is geared to the changes and challenges [the industry is facing]. You describe [strategic self-awareness] as a core competence at Vodafone. Your coaching uses content and methods to promote [Vodafone’s core competences]. Consistently. And it’s so fresh and modern that you don’t immediately notice this theoretical foundation.”

Workshop: “How to Develop Humility in Alpha People”

On the second day, as part of HR BarCamp, RELEVANT held a workshop, “How to Develop Humility in Alpha People,” for interested attendees. The main focus was on charismatic managers, who typically show self-confidence, determination, and visionary thinking.

Charisma ensures that managers in companies are recognized. However, too much charisma can become a weakness. Many charismatic leaders with power become narcissists, which can have devastating effects on others.

Today, there are fewer ways for narcissistic leaders to hide misconduct. To meet the demands of the fourth industrial revolution, companies need leaders who can be effective through others. Humility allows leadership teams to deliver business results, be productive, and be effective.

In an interactive workshop session, we explored our views on

1. The difference between individual emergence and team effectiveness at work,
2. How emerging and effective leaders can be identified in organizations, and
3. How the coaching abilities of overly charismatic leaders can be improved with an empirically proven approach and discussed with candidates.

We enjoyed the intensive exchange with the participants and continued some of the discussions afterward. Strategic self-awareness is important to everyone, and we are delighted that we can make a significant contribution to this with the Hogan assessment suite.

If you are interested in delving into our workshop topic, we would like to give you access to our article, “Our View on New Leadership: How to Develop and Assess Humility in Charismatic Leaders,”  which we wrote with Robert Hogan, PhD, and Ryne Sherman, PhD. We are proud of the article with all modesty, and we are looking forward to your feedback!

We took a lot of food for thought, ideas, and insights from Coaching Day 2019. It was touching to see the joy of the winners of the ICF Germany Prism Award. And we were pleased about the possibilities of looking at the quality of coaching from different angles (e.g., with regard to ethics, the use of diagnostics, standardized processes, etc.). Next year we will be there again, and we are looking forward to it.

Krista Pederson, director of Asia-Pacific business development at Hogan, spoke at the 42nd International Congress on Assessment Center Methods and Developing Leadership Talent, held in Shanghai from November 13 to November 15, 2019.

In a presentation titled “Assessing Global Talent: Using Personality for Talent Across Asia and the Globe,” Pederson discussed leadership across cultures. She explained how Hogan does assessment translations and uses local and global norms. She also shared Hogan’s unique point of view on cross-cultural topics, including our focus on researching leadership personality within a country’s borders, instead of cross-cultural constructs across countries or regions.

Pederson’s presentation was completely full, as were many of the other conference sessions. More than 50 CEOs, leaders, and top business and psychology professors gave presentations about leadership development and assessment centers. Keynote speakers included Sharif Khan, GEO HR GM for Microsoft, Asia; William C. Byham, PhD, DDI co-founder and executive chairman; and He Jinghua, vice dean of Tencent College. The conference was well attended—more than 350 CEOs, CHROs, and other business leaders joined.

Global interest in assessment and talent selection is increasing, especially in China. The market in China is diversifying, with fewer state-owned enterprises and multinational corporations and a rise in the number of privately owned enterprises. As diversification occurs, there is a rapidly increasing need for using data and assessments to solve talent issues across all levels of organizations.

Hogan has millions of data points on the global market and has done robust studies on personality in Asia and around the globe. We plan to continue our investment and growth in the Asia-Pacific market and look forward to working with our distribution network to meet the needs of the privately owned enterprises that are experiencing rapid growth and looking for a scientific, data-based talent metric.

If your company is interested in using Hogan in China or elsewhere in Asia, let us know. We are happy to work with our distributors to solve your talent needs.

Despite the fact that teams vary widely in terms of their goals and composition, there is one right way to build a team, and many wrong ways, according to a new book by Gordon J. Curphy, Dianne L. Nilsen and Robert Hogan. The success of any team depends on having the right foundation in place.

In their book, titled “Ignition: A Guide to Building High-Performing Teams,” the authors provide insights into how to solve problems commonly faced by teams in today’s complex, fast-paced organizations. Case studies include combining teams as part of a re-organization, virtual teams, and matrixed teams, as well as fixing broken teams and developing high-potentials into effective team leaders.

“This book is the single best source available on how to carry out the fundamental task of building and maintaining a high-performing team,” says Curphy. “It outlines 40 team-improvement activities that are practical and effective. The exercises are based on the notion that teams need to do real work to become more effective.”

“Ignition” is intended as a reference book. Readers are encouraged to review the first two chapters to understand the overall considerations in building teams and how to set up and run team engagements. Then, chapters can be selected by the reader that most closely parallel the specific team issues they need to address.

The 15 “Ignition” chapters and 40 team improvement activities are linked to the Team Assessment Survey, which provides benchmarking feedback and helps teams pinpoint problem areas. In addition, downloadable supporting materials, such as PowerPoint decks, forms, handouts and articles are provided to help team leaders and facilitators more easily address team dilemmas and needs.

“Ignition: A Guide to Building High-Performing Teams” is available for purchase on Amazon for $49.99.

*This guest post was authored by Giuliana Mason, Marketing & Communications Manager for Awair.

Effective Leadership: It’s Not What You Think

Is Humility the new Effectiveness when it comes to leadership-related topics? It’s what two different international audiences, in Paris and London, respectively, were able to discuss with Dr. Robert Hogan earlier in October.

The events were organized by Awair, Hogan Distributor in Italy, France, and Spain – and 3 Minute Mile, Hogan Distributor in the UK. The two consultancies merged at the beginning of 2019 and operate now as a single company, although both through their original brand names.

In Paris, Dr. Hogan delivered his speech in the academic context of ESCE business school, with whom Awair partnered for this special occasion. Some 200 among HR managers, consultants, and executive search professionals attended the event, along with undergraduate students who gladly welcomed the opportunity to listen to the talk of one of the greatest I/O psychologists of our times, also taking part in the lively Q&A session which followed.

Same interest, different setting in London: in this case, 3 Minute Mile’s brand new office in Hammersmith hosted Dr. Hogan for a more intimate, peer-to-peer discussion with around 60 HR experts and managers who were lucky and quick enough to be able to book a place at the event, as it sold out in just a few hours.

Once again, Dr. Hogan’s direct style and compelling reasoning brought great food for thought to listeners: why is charisma so (over)rated? What is the difference between Emergence and Effectiveness, and how to recognize both trends in a leader? What are the main traits of a really successful business leader? Among those, humility is an important one, with all its consequences: being able to listen and to learn from others and from experience, to reckon own team contribution, to foster a trial-and-error culture, to nurture trust, openness, and personal development. The list goes on and embraces several of the features often associated with thriving leadership in the era of digital disruption.

Here is video footage from the events:

*This is an interview with Dr. Pradnya Parasher, Founder & CEO of ThreeFish Consulting, on High Potential Talent Development in India. 

In India, tenure and seniority have traditionally tipped the scales while creating a leadership pipeline. Now that old rules are being questioned, is it time to throw out all of the old and ring in everything new? Maybe not!   

Q1. Are you seeing Indian companies looking at identifying high potential employees?

Indian companies have valued tenure, loyalty, and seniority – this has its own due merit as experience and wisdom accompany seniority. With the advent of high-profile hires from management schools and diverse talent pools, Indian companies are looking at talent development differently. Accelerating the growth of high potential employees and scientific, methodical assessment of potential are therefore gaining traction. Newer talent management practices of assessment and diagnostics such as our personality-based tools now prove invaluable.

Tenure is not irrelevant – organizational knowledge, wisdom, the maturity which comes with age and experience are all products of tenure. Within the same system, the need isto additionally look for those who we can stretch more, earlier in their careers. High potential employees like to be challenged – if not challenged, they can get bored and seek their challenge elsewhere. Therefore, identification of high potentials is not just to accelerate careers but also to identify those gems who are ready to take on higher challenges; and should be challenged.

Q2. How has the Hogan High Potential Model worked for you in India?

The Hogan High Potential Model is well-researched. Leadership themes and competencies defined in the Hogan High Potential Model are quite universal and generalizable to the Indian work context. It identifies nine leadership competencies that are clustered under three themes.

• Leadership Foundations
• Leadership Effectiveness
• Leadership Emergence

Traditional Indian companies seem to value effectiveness and foundations. Multinationals and fast-growing Indian companies value leadership emergence more. High potential identification processes are often biased toward noticing “Emergent” leaders and overlooking “Effective” leaders. Using the Hogan HiPo model, organizations are able to see if they are operating with similar bias.

Q3. Where have you seen the Hogan High Potential Model being implemented successfully in India?

We’ve successfully deployed the Hogan High Potential Model across multiple sectors – traditional manufacturing, insurance, andprivate universities are some cases. Indian companies are under tremendous pressure to grow their leadership talent. Many of them find value in using well-researched, standard models of leadership, even as they pursue defining their company-specific leadership competency models.

We are currently working with an Indian agribusiness company that has recently acquired companies in Europe and Americas, and are leveraging Hogan’s HiPo model to quick-start data-driven leadership development.

Q4. So how do you typically work with the Hogan High Potential Model in India?

It’s a simple online hour-long assessment of the same three Hogan inventories – HPI, HDS, and MVPI. A validated report is generated that gives people a range of scores on the set of nine competencies. In-depth, one-on-one coaching sessions are scheduled to debrief the results, generate insights, and build targeted development plans. Sometimes, development continues in the form of micro-learning modules or ongoing coaching for change.

Aggregate, group level data is analyzed to get a baseline of the current leadership talent pool. Group level analysis enables organizations to note strengths and gaps in talent.

Individual talent “deep dives” include triangulating data from Hogan assessments, current and past performance records, and self-reports from the concerned person. This combination aides the creation of robust career development and leadership development plans for individuals. The company is able to objectively understand each individual – a strengths and opportunities matrix with assessment of potential can be evolved.

Q5. What, if any, are the challenges in this deployment?

The Hogan High Potential Model is a standardized model. Wherever companies have their own leadership competency model, they would like to assess potential against their competencies. In that case, we recommend a mapping of Hogan scales to the company’s competency model for evaluating potential.

However, I see more opportunities and benefits than challenges. Hogan’s HiPo solution is reliable, scalable, and easy to deploy globally. That is the key advantage that all of our clients have valued when adopting this solution.

Hogan distributor, Authentic Talent Consulting, hosted a conference titled “Recruiting Leaders: Why do we make bad hires?” on October 15 at The Opera Patio in Paris featuring Dr. Robert Hogan. Speaking to an audience of 60 leading HR professionals, Dr. Hogan’s talk focused on the importance of humility in leadership.

In his presentation, Dr. Hogan pointed out that the reasons organizations have traditionally promoted charismatic individuals into leadership roles is because there has been a false vision of leadership since the 1970s. We have lived in a culture where charisma is the desired quality when it comes to leadership. However, what organizations fail to understand is the difference between leadership emergence and leadership effectiveness. Although charismatic employees tend to emerge as leaders in their organizations, new studies show that humble individuals are much more effective, which results in stronger employee engagement and organizational performance.

Prior to Dr. Hogan’s presentation, Chloë Touati, co-founder of Authentic Talent Consulting, spoke to the audience about how organizations make mistakes in hiring and identifying leaders because they focus too much on competencies and not enough on values. She outlined three primary ways companies can find the right match between a candidate’s values and their own:

• Organizations need to develop a strong understanding of their values and be honest about them with candidates. Just because a company has its values listed on its website or office walls doesn’t mean it’s the truth. Organizations need to truly know their values and be open and authentic when communicating with candidates.
• Companies all over the world use personality assessments to predict performance, but it’s also important to use assessments that measure values.
• Organizations should stop recruiting people who are all alike. Instead, they should hire people with the values that match the desired organizational culture.

Also speaking at the event were two clients of Authentic Talent Consulting. Their session focused on how they use Hogan’s assessments for leadership development and identifying leaders who are a good cultural fit for their organizations. They also spoke to the audience about the importance of derailers and how they can negatively impact organizational and team performance.

Overall, the event was a huge success, and those in attendance got an in-depth look at how using Hogan the right way can have a significant impact on organizations all over the world. Here’s a video recap of the event:

Time is running out to register for ICF Deutschland’s Coaching Day 2019 and also to register for the second German Prism Award, an annual award jointly sponsored by Hogan Assessments and RELEVANT Managementberatung. ICF Coaching Day will take place on November 15-16, with the German Prism Award Gala occurring from 7:00-9:00pm on Friday, November 15 in Munich.

The award, modeled after the ICF’s International Prism Award, is given to organizations with programs that make a difference in the coaching community through professionalism, quality and innovation. The nominees – all DAX 30 companies – represent a variety of industries, and each are tasked with providing insight into how their coaching programs contribute to the achievement of important corporate goals and advance the coaching profession.

“We are honored to be able to sponsor this prestigious award again this year,” says RELEVANT owner, Dr. René Kusch. “Last year’s event was a huge success, and we look forward to replicating that again this year with a stellar group of nominees.”

Last year’s inaugural German Prism Award was given to CMS Law Tax, an international law firm with 74 offices worldwide, for its Partner Peak Performance Program (PPP) that was designed for the organization’s leaders and “rainmakers.” Its cutting-edge coaching program and robust coaching culture is what set the company apart from the competition.

“CMS Law Tax really set the standard for future recipients of the German Prism Award,” says Kusch. “Their coaching program embodies the true spirt of the award, which is to advance the coaching profession and move German companies forward.”

Click here to purchase tickets and to learn more about the event.

A&D Resources, the authorized Hogan Assessments distributor in Denmark and Benelux, is expanding its business operations into Finland, Norway, and Sweden, making it the premiere Hogan distributor in the region.

Specializing in the assessment and development of individuals, teams and organizations, A&D is considered the leading assessment firm in Denmark. This expansion into the Nordics can largely be attributed to the organization’s history of success in the surrounding region and also because of its work globally.

“We are fortunate to have a strong reputation within our industry, whether we’re in Denmark, Benelux, or beyond, and that’s because we deliver results,” says Hans Ove Dahl, A&D’s managing director. “We’re firm believers that if you build a talented team using Hogan’s assessments, which are widely considered the most predictive assessments for workplace performance, you’ll have a competitive advantage that other organizations simply can’t match.”

A&D partnered with Hogan in 2002, and has since experienced rapid growth, both in the size of the organization and its geographic footprint. Originally operating only in Denmark, A&D made the strategic move to expand its offerings into Benelux in recent years. This new expansion into the Nordics further solidifies its presence in northern Europe.

Scott Gregory, CEO of Hogan Assessments, believes this new development will be mutually beneficial for both Hogan and A&D.

“At Hogan, we have a robust network of distributors all over the globe, and A&D has been there with us since the very early days,” says Gregory. “As that relationship developed and strengthened over time, we began to find new and innovative ways to help each other grow our businesses. This is another example of our collaborative efforts to improve the global workforce through the use of valid, scientific assessments for employee selection and development.”

A&D plans to be operational in all three Nordic countries in the coming weeks and expects this to be a seamless transition.

“Our expansion into the Benelux countries helped to prepare us for entering into new markets,” says Dahl. “It’s obviously a very exciting time for our organization, and we look forward to working with our new friends in the Nordic region.”

For years, organizations across the globe have notoriously and foolishly promoted charismatic individuals into leadership roles, only to see these clever office politicians fail time and time again.

In response to this global epidemic, RELEVANT Managementberatung and Hogan recently collaborated on a new article titled “Our View on New Leadership: How to Grow Humility in Charismatic Leaders.” The article, which will be accessible to RELEVANT’s newsletter subscribers first, was co-authored by RELEVANT Founder Dr. René Kusch, RELEVANT Senior Consultant Annette B. Czernik, Dr. Robert Hogan, and Dr. Ryne Sherman. It provides an in-depth look, backed by years of data, at why humble, driven leaders are more successful than their charismatic counterparts. Here’s an abstract of the article:

Emergent leaders, the ones that get noticed, promoted, and pampered in their organizations, typically exhibit strong self-confidence, decisiveness, and visionary thinking – which are not bad things. These characteristics are related to charisma. Too much might be as unacceptable as too little, though. Charisma has a dark side; it is linked to narcissism, and narcissism comes with disastrous side effects. 

Multiple studies have revealed that it is humility in leadership that ensures results, productivity, and effectiveness of an organization. Humility is a personality trait that is not glamorous at all, and often overlooked. Yet, it seems what many companies are missing in their endeavors to face and cope with the exigencies the 4^th industrial revolution is presenting. According to their conversation on leadership 4.0 at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting of the new champions, working with millennials, leaders say humility works better than bossing around (Vanham, 2019). Today, there are fewer possibilities for dysfunctional narcissistic leaders to mask or coat their misconduct. It is a huge opportunity for HR departments to make identifying humble leaders and developing humility in charismatic leaders a priority.

The article outlines in great detail the reasons why charismatic leaders fail at an alarming rate, and how humble leaders are critical to organizational success. Click here to access the full-length version.

Being awarded a leadership role within an organization may feel like an amazing accomplishment, but that is only half the battle. The second, and arguably most important half, lies in building and maintaining a highly effective team.

However, according to a study conducted on UK workers, managers are failing miserably at this task, and are instead fostering feelings of hate and resentment among their workers. The survey states that while 22% of the UK public say they hate their boss, a more staggering 52% claim that their boss is their main cause of job dissatisfaction. So, where is it that managers are going wrong, and what can they do improve their employees’ perception of them?

Compelling research by V. Jon Bentz – Vice President for Human Resources at Sears during the 1970s – found that managerial failure had little to do with IQ or personal attractiveness. Rather, it was linked directly to interpersonal competence. And, since personality is at the core of interpersonal competence, we can use personality assessments – such as those we have developed at Hogan – to identify the 11 personality scales that cause leaders to fail time and time again.

The Hogan Development Survey, introduced in 1997 by Drs. Robert Hogan and Joyce Hogan, is the only personality assessment that identifies critical blind spots that lead to career derailment. It helps leaders by providing insights about their counterproductive tendencies – or “risk factors” – that inevitably cause managerial failure. These characteristics become heightened during times of stress, and result in poor relationships with employees and other key stakeholders.

To lead a team more successfully, leaders need to be aware of these 11 personality scales or “derailers”:

• Excitable – People scoring high on this scale have lots of energy and enthusiasm for new projects. However, they quickly become disinterested when projects don’t go according to original plans. They tend to express their frustrations with people and projects publicly in emotional outbursts, creating an unsettling workplace atmosphere, where employees walk on eggshells for fear of upsetting or disappointing their manager.

• Skeptical – Leaders scoring highly on this scale are distrustful of others, believing that others will stab them in the back as soon as they let their guard down. While this approach keeps the leader attuned to the sometimes-ugly underbelly of organizational politics, this person is ultimately unable to gain anyone else’s trust either. This ultimately results in a completely dysfunctional work environment where decisions are made via secret meetings and without open discourse.

• Cautious – Cautious leaders operate in constant fear of making a mistake. They believe that you can never be certain of anything and operate with the worst-case-scenario in mind. As a result, they are reluctant to try new approaches or to make-decisions of any real consequences. Their subordinates learn to work around them if they want to get anything accomplished.

• Reserved – Reserved leaders believe that work is done best when people can focus in complete solitude. They keep face-to-face time to a minimum and lock themselves away when things get stressful. Reserved leaders are also less sympathetic to other people’s problems which results in their subordinates viewing them as cold, hard-nosed, and unhelpful.

• Leisurely – Leisurely individuals show up as polite and socially skilled when leading a team, which is why they are often liked and respected within their organization. However, after working closely with these people for some time, employees will see through the smokescreen and notice many fatal flaws. When faced with real challenges, these leaders are not very productive, and will react by finding ways to avoid and deflect responsibility.

• Bold – Bold leaders are inspiring, courageous, and confident. While employees may learn a lot from these individuals about how to rise to the top of organizations, they can also be challenging to work for. They refuse to acknowledge or take accountability for their mistakes and failures – for fear of losing face – and so the blame will always fall on employees. Likewise, these individuals take credit for major wins, and are bad at recognizing and rewarding hard work from their team.

• Mischievous – Mischievous people love thrill and excitement and thrive in high-octane situations. Leaders scoring highly here are willing to take risks and will spring into action during times of stress. In a leadership role, this is certainly necessary, but challenges arise for workers when leaders score too highly here. These leaders sometimes lack consideration for their workers, who put in the groundwork that set them up for success, and who are most impacted when taking on large, ambitious projects.

• Colorful – Colorful leaders enjoy being the center of attention, and thrive during stressful situations too, but in different ways. Whereas mischievous leaders live for the rush of high-risk projects, colorful leaders enjoy the fame and attention these projects bring, which can work against their favor. Employees often find these leaders chaotic and erratic to work with and will have to deal with poor organization and indecisiveness.

• Imaginative – Imaginative people are highly creative and love to engage in brainstorming sessions. They view even simple problems as immensely complex and in need of highly innovative solutions. As leaders, they become easily bored by daily tasks and activities and are easily distracted by their own thoughts. As a result, their subordinates view them as unfocused and impractical.

• Diligent – Diligent individuals are perfectionists and have a hard time delegating work efficiently among their staff. As a result, they tend to complete most tasks themselves – taking on more than they can manage – which hinders quality and turnaround. These leaders are challenging to work with, in that they slow down productivity and micromanage their staff.

• Dutiful – Dutiful leaders lack initiative and resourcefulness. In stark contrast to the diligent leader, these individuals rely too heavily on their team-members, hoping that they will carry the project through to completion without having to take any real responsibility or make any risky decisions.

As job dissatisfaction continues to rise, the employee-employer relationship is becoming more important. In order to successfully manage a team and lead it towards great results, leaders from all organizations need to form meaningful connections with their employees. Developing and maintaining awareness of these 11 derailers can help top-level management and team leaders to foster stronger working relationships with their employees. Only then can a manager successfully lead a team towards greatness and achieve strong results.