There are certain character traits associated with leadership success. Yet a lot of these traits could prove to be deadly if not handled in the right manner or if available in too high dozes. Two decades back, a study conducted by psychologists established eleven such traits which were- bold, cautious, colourful, diligent, dutiful, excitable, imaginative, leisurely, mischievous, reserved and sceptical. For example, colourful could give way to being dramatic or attention-seeking, bold could mean entitled or overly self-confident and so on and so forth. Now a related business research carried out by the Hogan Development Assessments has divided these eleven traits into three broad categories. It has been noted that most managers display at least three such dark traits and about two-fifths score high enough in one or two to put their careers in potential peril. As leaders rise in their professional careers, they tend to make a less objective assessment on their own selves. The three categories are Distancing, Seductive and Ingratiating. Distancing involves cautious, excitable, leisurely, reserved and sceptical. Seductive includes Bold, colourful, imaginative and mischievous. The last category consists of diligent and dutiful. All of these in excess quantities can prove to be dangerous and managers must take care to navigate past their dark sides.

Source:https://hbr.org/2017/09/could-your-personality-derail-your-career.

Uploaded Date: 21 October 2017