Society generally views spitefulness as a purely negative characteristic – there are hundreds of parables to this effect dating to the beginning of recorded history. However, an article in the New York Times recently described findings from several studies showing the bright side of spitefulness. Here are some highlights: 

• Spitefulness tends to come with elevated levels of aggression, psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism.
• Men tend to be more spiteful than women and young people more than old.
• Stressful circumstances – partisan politics and divorce among them – can provoke spiteful outbursts from otherwise temperate people.
• According to anthropologist Frank Marlowe, what looks like spite is often a matter of image-making. “If you get a reputation as someone not to mess with and nobody messes with you going forward, then it was well worth the cost.”

Spitefulness isn’t something Hogan measures directly – although our research department told me spitefulness would possibly correlate with the Hogan Development Survey Skeptical, Bold, Leisurely and Mischievous scales – but the article was an excellent illustration of one of our core concepts; that there is no such thing as a purely negative (or positive) personality characteristic.

Intrigued? Check out how your greatest strength can become your biggest weakness here.

Buros Center for Testing, an independent organization that publishes authoritative reviews and reference materials on commercial assessments, recently released a review of the Hogan Development Survey.

“The assessment industry is unregulated, and there are thousands of assessment providers on the market, which can make it hard for consumers to find a quality assessment that suits their needs,” said Jeff Foster, vice president of science at Hogan Assessments. “We rely on organizations like Buros to help consumers identify quality assessments.”

“The HDS is alone in its test space and it has been developed with exceptional psychological and psychometric care,” states a portion of the review. “The care that went into developing the HDS as a psychometrically adequate and user-friendly tool for aiding personnel selection and professional growth lives up to the need,” it continues.

The review will appear in The Nineteenth Mental Measurements Yearbook, which includes consumer-oriented test reviews and will be available for purchase March 21, and may be pre-ordered here. The full review is also available for $15 on Buros’ site.

For more information about finding the right assessment for your company, check out our Assessment Evaluation Guide.

With a college background in literature, I tend to relate ideas and concepts to narrative forms deriving anywhere from the classics to contemporary rom-coms (I don’t discriminate). So, when I see narcissism trending in the news, I inevitably search my story database for an exaggerated narcissistic character for comparison. And who should pop into my head other than that dastardly fink, Daniel Cleaver from Bridget Jones’s Diary, a contemporary version of Jane Austen’s antagonist, the rakish Mr. Wickham.

It’s rather obvious that what the poor sod lacks in self-awareness, he makes up for in smiles and charm. In fact, he charms his charismatic self right into the heart of his employee, the love-struck Bridget Jones. Though Jones, who makes some missteps and judgment follies of her own, eventually wises up to his masquerade, Cleaver never does. He’s so good at impression management and making others buy into his winning personality, that he dupes even himself. In a recent Harvard Review blog, Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic explains that “such delusions of grandeur allow narcissists to be more effective manipulators than individuals who are politically savvy but inhibited by their inability to distort reality or morality in their favor. It is always easier to fool others when you have already fooled yourself.”

Fortunately, “one of the unique characteristics of narcissistic individuals,” says Chamorro-Premuzic, “is their inability to prolong their seductive powers for too long…Their initial flamboyance, charm and confidence soon morphs into deluded self-admiration, defensive arrogance, and moral disengagement.” Well, that’s spot on for Cleaver. His charismatic and charming illusion fades along with his control of the situation, and his true colors – deceit, questionable morals, and unmitigated arrogance – begin to peek through his carefully manicured exterior.

While narcissism can help individuals get ahead in their career and isn’t necessarily a bad characteristic to embody, Chamorro-Premuzic says that “the critical ingredients for success are competence rather than confidence, altruism rather than egotism, and integrity rather than charisma.” In the end, I almost feel sorry for Daniel Cleaver. While he may bounce back quickly due to his narcissistic never-at-fault attitude, without proper self-awareness, he’ll just keep making the same mistakes over and over and over again.

“You don’t have to be a total narcissist to be a successful executive – but a solid dash of ego can help,” Rachel Feintzeig, a management reporter for the Wall Street Journal, writes in WSJ’s At Work blog. And she’s right. Citing sources from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and Hogan Assessments, she delves into the controversial topic of narcissism in the workplace. Hogan’s managing partner Rodney Warrenfeltz discusses the implications of Bold scores in the 70-90 range and above on the Hogan Development Survey. Despite its stigma, narcissism and “being able to influence people is a crucial part of effective leadership” writes Feintzeig.

Read the whole article here.

Warning: self-disclosure ahead.

I should start by making you aware of a couple of things: like all other people, I have a few derailers. Ok, I have a lot of them. Perhaps the most plaguing is a very close friend of mine, known as Excitable. People are often surprised by this, as in professional and social settings I am pretty adept at keeping it under wraps. At home, however, I am a hybrid of a powder keg and a wrecking ball. My low-moderate Adjustment score means that the fuse to my Excitable moments is short to non-existent, and also leaves me with massive post-explosion guilt. Furthermore, I am off the charts on Inquisitive and Learning Approach, so I am constantly trying to understand the reasons that drive my behaviors. So I explode, feel terrible about it, introspect and try to understand why, ultimately become frustrated about the why, and explode again…wash, rinse, repeat. It truly is a vicious cycle.

After 33 years of running through the cycle above, I have come to some conclusions as to why I have to wear a scarlet “E” around my neck: it is only natural and is all about energy and balance. A bomb explodes because its internal components rapidly and efficiently convert potential energy into kinetic energy in the form of heat. As they heat, they expand, and as they expand internal pressure builds. The pressure’s only relief comes via rapid dispersion into the surrounding stable atmosphere, which we see as an explosion. The aforementioned happens very quickly and, generally speaking, once the reaction has started it cannot be stopped. The same goes for me (and I assume for other Excitables as well). This is why telling an excitable individual to count to ten is a terrible idea – there is no stopping the reaction and stalling it only builds more pressure and leads to a more violent explosion. Best course of action: Take cover and let it pass over.

Clearly, I am Excitable because I am made up of atoms that convert and release energy more efficiently than those that comprise my calmer counterparts. It is obviously a positive attribute because I don’t harbor stress; it exits me with the force of a 10 megaton bomb, but once it is gone, it is gone. As quickly as it built and blew up, the reaction is over and all is peaceful.

So to my fellow Excitables: Unite! Consider this not your cross to bear, but your red badge of courage. Embrace your gifted ability to expunge the tensions that cause hair loss and heart conditions.  Encourage stress bearers to take charge of their lives and health by throwing things and speaking in strings of expletives yet unknown. And by all means, always keep in mind that those to whom you have to apologize are simply envious of the incredible efficiency of your molecular makeup.

Mischievous? Me?!? No. Never.

For more on Hogan Development Survey scales, visit www.howdoyouderail.com.

What if you had been the head of a company your junior or senior year of college? Do you think it would have changed your career trajectory or given you more insight into leadership? That’s the idea behind Odgers Berndtson’s CEO X 1 Day. This month, the leading global executive Canadian search firm launched its program that places third and fourth year university students in the shoes of CEOs at leading Canadian organizations for one day.

By shadowing some of the biggest decision makers in Canada, CEO X 1 Day gives students “a tremendous opportunity to observe a talented CEO in action - providing them with inspiration, role modeling and a road map for their careers," said Carl Lovas, Canadian Chair at Odgers Berndtson, in a recent press release. It is “designed to uncover Canada's most promising future talent, while giving CEOs an opportunity to connect and better understand what drives this next generation of leaders,” he continued.

As part of the application process, applicants are given the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) and the Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI) to assess their leadership aptitude. Characteristics factored into this aptitude include confidence, ambition, effective stress management, political savvy, values and the ability to develop new skills – all characteristics of a successful senior leader.

Throughout their one day, finalists will spend valuable one-on-one time with CEOs learning about their background, career path, and how they create value in their organization. The objective is to create a meaningful experience for both students – who will learn what it takes to be the leader – and CEOs – who will benefit from the students’ nubile and fresh perspectives as well as get a glimpse of Canada’s next generation’s up and comers.

Participating Canadian CEOs include: Elyse Allan, GE; Nitin Kawale, Cisco; Jim Gabel, adidas; Patrick Nangle, Purolator; Ellis Jacob, Cineplex; Ian Troop, Toronto 2015 Pan Am; Kirstine Stewart, Twitter; Marc Bertrand, MEGA Brands; Manon Brouillette, Videotron; Yannis Mallat, Ubisoft; and Thierry Vandal, Hydro Quebec. Performance Programs Inc., a Hogan partner, is working in conjunction with Odgers Berndtson during the applicants’ selection process.

In the workplace, one rotten apple can spoil the whole bunch, especially when the bad apple is in a leadership position. Passive-aggressive leaders create toxic work cultures that reward compliance and punish dissent or criticism, even if it is constructive.

In their 2005 Harvard Business Review article, The Passive-Aggressive Organization, authors Gary Neilson, Bruce Pasternack, and Karen Van Nuys describe a healthy organizational culture as one in which “managers have access to good, timely information, the authority to make informed decisions, and the incentives to make them on behalf of the organization, which promptly and capably carries them out.”

Unfortunately, in a Booz Allen Hamilton survey of more than 30,000 people around the globe, only one in five respondents described their organizations that way. The largest number of respondents described their workplace as passive-aggressive.

Do you get belligerent when things go wrong? Do you find yourself drunk with arrogance? The parallels between the dangers of over intoxication and leadership derailment are uncanny. Recently I shared a few crafted libations with partners from across our global network, and we discussed the dearth of available cocktails that pointedly appeal to an individual’s dark side. So naturally, we came up with the following menu of customized personality enhancers. It offers a number of options for entertaining that special boss or client, or for when you’re just looking to imbibe something that will reveal to your friends and colleagues who you really are.

The Excitable
This hot headed variant of the “Prairie Fire” is one part Tennessee whiskey, one part Tequila, and served in a generous shot glass with a habanero sauce floater. Once a few of these spicy voice amplifiers burn passed past your esophagus, you’ll notice a sudden increase in passionate pontification as well as chest hair. Professional swimmers and fans of the unbuttoned collar beware.

The Skeptical
Looking for a drink that arouses suspicion? Nothing says ‘whaddya think you’re lookin at’ better than this dubious brew. It’s the perfect prop for sitting at the end of a dark bar in sunglasses while you ponder the phrase ‘how are you doing tonight’ and if it was meant as an insult. The recipe is proprietary…just to get you started on the right foot.

The Cautious
Should you or shouldn’t you? Why not? After all it’s only a virgin Margarita in a plastic cup filled halfway. And if you’re not sure you’ll like it, start slow. Just a tip of the glass is enough to get a little loosened up.

The Reserved
Aged scotch, neat. Need we say more?

The Leisurely
We’ll get back to you on this one soon.

The Bold
If you’re out to show off your worth, this ‘cocky-tail’ is the one for you. We take the classic self-promoting energy drink and vodka mix and add an obnoxiously awesome protein powder. Guaranteed to inspire clever pick up lines, this drink is only appropriate for those who can handle an attitude that oozes bestness.  

The Mischievous
Want to cleverly hide that ‘only-live-once’ attitude? Need to keep from looking like a bottomless lush without sacrificing a good buzz? Well if you’re searching for a drink that sneaks up on you, you’ve come to the right place. We amended the recipe for a Long Island Iced Tea to also include absinthe and a special brand of moonshine. We know it’s a bit much, but come on, it’s only one drink…

The Colorful
If sticking out from the crowd is what you’re after, try this outstanding social lubricant. Available in three inspired hues, this special blend of apple schnapps, blue curacaos and grenadine mix is poured into a fishbowl decorated by Asian cocktail umbrellas and tiny, unbelievably sharp cherry swords. Garnished with a cornucopia of fruit, you are sure to be remembered.

The Imaginative
We thought to ourselves, what if we combined one liquor from each country we do business with, in even parts, but we locally sourced the bottles so as to ensure the end-result’s genuine nature, and once we got the ingredients delivered, then we could experiment with recipes until we discovered the secret formula to a truly global cocktail.

The Diligent
Mastery of the measuring cup is a lost art. But we’re going to revive it with this methodically tested formula. Featuring meticulously coordinated flavors, we combine 1.42 oz of coconut rum and 37.26 oz. of cola for a thoroughly good time.

The Dutiful
Just have whatever your companion is having; as long as it would be okay with them to do that. Otherwise find out what they recommend for you.

Derail responsibly.

Everyone has worked with someone they could describe as a pistol, a live wire, or a short fuse. These excitable individuals’ energy and enthusiasm can energize their peers and employees, but their mood can turn on a dime, and when it does, they will have their employees walking on eggshells to avoid setting them off.

What makes these time-bomb personalities tick, and how can you keep excitable individuals from unleashing their dark side?

Find out in our complimentary ebook, Keep Calm and Carry On.

Career success depends more on an individual’s ability to get along with his or her supervisor, peers, and employees than it does on intellect or technical skill. Perhaps that is why some people seem to succeed with little more than a wink and a smile. Most of the time, these individuals are friendly, spontaneous, and fun loving. At their worst, however, they can be flighty, impulsive, or outright Machiavellian. How can you be sure your employees are using their powers of persuasion for good, not evil?

Risky Business, the latest in our HDS scale ebook series, looks at how the mischievous side of people can impact their careers.