What 8,166 Leaders Reveal About a Common Leadership Challenge
3-minute read
Written by: Psychometrics Canada
Moving into leadership requires more than taking on new responsibilities. Leaders also need to be able to step beyond the day-to-day, navigate ambiguity, recognize emerging opportunities, and keep sight of the bigger picture. But that shift doesn't always come naturally.
At Psychometrics, we have the opportunity to see these leadership challenges through a unique lens: assessment data. To better understand where leaders may need support, our psychologists analyzed Work Personality Index® results from 8,166 leaders who completed the assessment as part of leadership development initiatives.
The Work Personality Index measures 21 personality traits that influence how people approach their work. Looking across this leadership data allowed us to identify patterns in workplace preferences and behaviours and consider what they could mean for how leaders approach their roles and where they may benefit from development.
The data revealed a number of interesting insights that we'll explore more deeply in our upcoming webinar. For now, here are three patterns that stood out.
1. A Need for Structure Can Make Ambiguity More Challenging
The leadership sample focused more on rules and structure than we would expect from individuals at a leadership level.
Processes and procedures are important, and a preference for structure can be valuable in environments that need consistency and clear guidelines. However, these leaders may find it more difficult to operate without that structure and may struggle when navigating ambiguous or rapidly changing situations.
2. A Focus on Detail Can Make It Harder to See the Bigger Picture
The leadership sample paid more attention to detail than we would expect from individuals at a leadership level.
Being detail-oriented has clear benefits, but these leaders may collect too much information before moving forward. As a result, they may miss opportunities to capitalize on emerging situations. A strong focus on the details may also make it more difficult to connect day-to-day activities back to the broader organizational strategy.
3. Seeking Stability Can Make It Harder to Adapt
The leadership sample was also not as flexible as we would expect from individuals at a leadership level. They showed a preference for more routine than variety and more consistency over ambiguity.
Leadership often requires adapting as situations emerge. Leaders who prefer more stable environments may find this more challenging, potentially making it harder to respond to emerging challenges or causing them to take longer to react when priorities change.
What These Insights Mean for Developing Leaders
When we look at these three patterns together, they point to a potential leadership challenge: stepping outside of day-to-day responsibilities and into a more strategic mindset.
Structure, attention to detail, and consistency can all bring value to a leadership role. The challenge can come when a leader's natural approach doesn't align with what a particular situation, team, or organization requires.
Understanding these tendencies can provide a valuable starting point for leadership development. But identifying the challenge is only the first step.
So, what can HR and L&D professionals do to help leaders make the shift?
Join us for our upcoming webinar, From Individual Contributor to Leader: Helping Leaders Make the Shift, where I/O Psychologist Justin Deonarine will take a deeper look at what our Work Personality Index data reveals about this common leadership challenge.
We'll explore the implications of overusing and underusing different leadership skills, how leaders may be aligned or misaligned with their teams, and practical strategies you can use to help leaders adapt their approach and become more effective.
