Personality traits that drive success can derail employees under pressure, study finds
Source: HR Dive ↗
Hogan Assessment highlighted that personality traits that fuel success can become liabilities when employees face heightened pressure, urging firms to cultivate “strategic self‑awareness” rather than attempting to alter innate dispositions. Alise Dabdoub, Hogan’s director of product innovation and data science, explained that the same characteristic that propels a person forward in one context may create problems in another, especially under stress. The company’s research points to the need for workers to recognize early signs of “derailers” – the triggers that push a trait into counterproductive behavior – so they can adjust their actions before negative outcomes emerge. Psychologist and Hogan consultant Ryan Rush illustrated this with the “mischievous” leader archetype: a risk‑taking, charismatic individual who excels at building rapport and driving results, but who can become impulsive, bored, and prone to breaking team trust when pressure mounts, ultimately risking credibility through irrational decisions.
The findings align with a recent Express Employment Professionals and Harris Poll survey of more than 1,000 hiring managers, in which 86 % said the right personality can outweigh a candidate’s skills gap. Respondents placed the highest value on reliability, honesty, adaptability, flexibility and self‑motivation—traits deemed crucial for navigating rapid technology transitions in the workplace. Experts at the 2023 Society for Human Resource Management conference added that managers can further improve relationships by tailoring communication to employees’ cognitive styles, such as presenting analytical thinkers with data visualizations rather than bullet‑point narratives. This nuanced approach to personality and cognition underscores the growing emphasis on matching personal attributes with job demands, rather than relying solely on technical qualifications.
Implementing Hogan’s strategic self‑awareness framework could reshape performance management and hiring practices, prompting organizations to focus on early identification of derailment triggers and personalized development plans. As companies adopt these insights, employees with high‑impact traits like risk‑taking may learn to balance ambition with prudence, preserving team trust and credibility. The broader implication is a shift toward more holistic talent strategies that integrate personality diagnostics, cognitive style considerations, and the evolving expectations of modern work environments.
⚡ Effects Interpreter
🌍World Economylow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Currency traders elsewhere may start pricing in the fallout within hours.
- ▶Economies far from the headline can still catch the aftershocks.
🏙️Local Economylow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Apprenticeships and training schemes in the sector might be affected too.
- ▶Hiring confidence nearby tends to move a step behind the headlines.
🏦Rates & Banksmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Rate decisions tend to follow data, not headlines, so patience is the norm.
- ▶Any move in rates would probably come further down the line, not overnight.
❤️Healthmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶A little perspective usually helps once the initial shock fades.
- ▶Looking after mental health is worth it when headlines feel heavy.
💷Wealthlow impact
What this means for you
- ▶A rainy-day fund matters more than ever when job security wobbles.
- ▶It might be wise to review outgoings if jobs are on the line.
🏠Housinglow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Rental yields in the area could shift only slightly, if at all, from this.
- ▶Asking prices in the area might firm up or soften only gradually.
🌍 Effects for your country
The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.