Posts Tagged ‘personality traits’

As people climb the management ladder, strengths can become liabilities and weaknesses might not have mattered may become important. Just listen to news or read the hidden about last year’s rock-star CEOs who rose to the heights of success only to fall to a shadow of their former glory.

All managers have flaws. Successful managers just keep them under wraps. A few managers learn self- management skills to avoid future failures. Unfortunately many do not. To avoid transformations like Anakin Skywalker’s (Star Wars) derailment from Jedi to Sith in Star Wars, it is important that the “force be with you” before hiring and promoting managers.

Hiring managers need insight regarding these dark side tendencies, maybe even more so than the “bright side” success factors. They need insight into potentially counterproductive dispositions and the likelihood of these tendencies derailing the high potential manager. While most personality inventories focus on the right personalities, only a few assessments are constructed for use in the workplace that accurately identifies potential derailing traits.
Dark side tendencies are best revealed using psychometric tests based on the Five Factor Model (FFM). What are a few of the dark side personality factors exposed with a FFM personality test like ASSESS and Prevue that management should be looking for?

1. Excitability.
Highly excitable people have been rewarded early in their careers for enthusiasm, passion, and high energy. They work extra hard because they expect to be disappointed in relationships. What managers first see is the hard work – that is until they feel they have been mistreated at which point they erupt – yelling, throwing things, and slamming doors. Under pressure, they become volatile and unpredictable. Because they feel life is not always fair, they can display a great deal of empathy, seen early on as compassion and caring. But as responsibilities increase and challenges mount, they require a lot of personal attention and reassurance and become very hard to please. As a result, they have difficulty building and maintaining a team. In many organizations, an inability to recruit and retain talent can be directly traced back to “excitable” managers.

2. Skepticism.
Highly skeptical people expect to be betrayed, cheated or deceived. They are suspicious, argumentative, and full of distrust. Conspiracy theories can often times be traced back to the skeptic. Because they are always looking over their shoulder, they develop keen insights into organizational politics and the hidden agendas of others. Based on these bright side skills, they are rewarded with new responsibilities and promotion. It is often at this point that their stubbornness and inability to compromise and trust becomes apparent others which erodes their ability to build and lead a team.

3. Cautiousness.
Highly cautious people fear being wrong. The worst that could happen to them is being criticized, blamed, or disgraced. They are constantly on guard against making mistakes. To avoid criticism, they follow rules and procedures. They dot every”I” and cross every “t”. They are deemed good “soldiers,” loyal employees protecting the company and guarding the backs of management. They are prudent and careful about evaluating risk. But when it comes to change or innovation, forget about it. They will resist, stall and drag their feet even when it is crystal clear that something needs to be done.

4. Reserved.
Highly reserved people have been promoted as a result of their focus and toughness in the face of adversity. They are recognized by superiors and peers as someone who works above the fray. They are rarely distracted by team dysfunction, interpersonal conflicts and individual agendas. They are unfazed by criticism and rejection. Unfortunately when they are promoted into positions with more authority and responsibility, they remain insensitive to others. Their laser focus now is perceived as being tactless, aloof, and arrogant. They communicate poorly if at all and both peers and direct reports find them unrewarding to deal with.

5. Arrogance.
Self-assurance goes hand-in-hand with confidence. At its best, self- confident people are energetic, charismatic, leader- like and willing to take the initiative to get projects going. Fear is a 4-letter word as they are not afraid of taking on complex and risky projects. This confidence attracts many followers. For all the reasons just mentioned, self-confidence is a critical ingredient for success in management, sales and entrepreneurship. But a fine line exists between arrogance and self-confidence. Arrogant people without good self-management skills expect to be admired, praised, indulged and obeyed. They expect to be successful in everything they do. They work hard to build their own legacy. With more authority but less control over outcomes, the dark side derailers kick in. Past strengths become intrapersonal and interpersonal saboteurs. They begin to take credit for more success than is warranted. They refuse to acknowledge failure, errors or mistakes. They ultimately alienate their colleagues and subordinates.

This article originally appeared in The Total View, a weekly online newsletter that focuses on hiring, management and retention strategies. The Total View is written and published by Ira S. Wolfe and is distributed with permission by CorporatePersonalityProfiler.com and The Chrysalis Corporation. Subscribe for free to The Total View here.