Hungary is a rising player in Central Europe, known for its strategic location, skilled workforce, and growing role in regional trade and investment. With a blend of deep-rooted cultural traditions and a focus on modernization, Hungary offers a unique environment where historical heritage meets economic ambition. The country has become an increasingly attractive destination for foreign investment, particularly in sectors like automotive manufacturing, information technology, and shared services. As it navigates both domestic and EU-wide economic trends, Hungary continues to strengthen its position as a competitive, innovation-minded market in the heart of Europe.
In this evolving landscape, Hogan Assessments provides insight into the people driving Hungary’s business success. With benchmark data from over 350 middle managers and executives across industries, we gain a clear picture of the leadership styles most prevalent—and most rewarded—within Hungarian organizations. This data not only reveals common traits among those in leadership roles, but also highlights the country’s unique preferences, values, and even unconscious biases that shape who rises to the top.
We collaborated with two brilliant Hungarians, Zsolt Feher, Hogan’s VP of Business Development, an influential global leader, and Gábor Füzér, Country Manager of Assessment Systems, Hogan’s Authorized Distributor in Hungary, to glean unique insights about Hungarian leaders. Understanding these personality trends is important because leaders determine the success of their organizations. By exploring how Hungary’s leaders navigate the realms of ambition, social cohesion, and personal fulfillment, we aim to uncover invaluable insights into Hungary’s evolving business landscape.
What do Hungarian leaders want?
Hogan’s Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI) measures the core goals, values, and drivers that influence what individuals strive to attain—essentially, what energizes and motivates them at work. It reveals the “inside” of personality, offering insight into what people care about most. For Hungarian leaders, three MVPI scales stand out in defining their leadership style and the workplace cultures they create.
The highest scoring value among Hungarian leaders is MVPI Recognition, indicating a strong desire for visibility, publicity, and acknowledgment of accomplishments—particularly in public settings. These leaders often appear outgoing and socially confident, though they may also seem to crave the limelight and feel pressure to maintain their status. They are likely to cultivate workplace cultures where achievement is celebrated and visibility is rewarded, whether through formal recognition programs or by giving team members opportunities to lead and stand out. Both Füzér and Feher see Recognition as a prevailing motivator amongst their experiences with Hungarian leaders. Füzér explains that those seeking visibility often receive promotions: “If you shine and get the visibility, doors will open for you to move into leadership.” According to Feher, “If you’ve “made it” in Budapest, then you are world famous in Hungary. No one cares if you’re famous in Vienna.”
The second most prominent motivator for Hungarian leaders is MVPI Science, which reflects a strong interest in technology, learning, and analytical problem-solving. Hungarian leaders score above the global benchmark, suggesting they are more inclined than their international peers to take a data-driven approach to decision making. These leaders tend to be curious, intellectually engaged, and focused on understanding systems and technology in depth. As a result, they likely foster cultures that value critical thinking, data-supported decision-making, and ongoing learning. However, this analytical drive can make them seem impatient or dismissive if recommendations lack sufficient evidence. Based on Füzér’s work with Hungarian leaders, he observes that leaders in Hungary must be technically sound to make it to the top. Hungarian leaders can get approval and acceptance by peers and subordinates as the leader if they can deeply, thoroughly understand their original field – whether a leader in IT or a Controller. Füzér expands and shares: “In Hungary, leaders are afraid of making decisions based on feelings or intuition. The prevailing belief in Hungary is that leaders must make decisions based on data; feelings and intuition get in the way. According to Füzér, “Conversations about competencies like ‘passionate work’ get shut down.”
In contrast, Hungarian leaders score relatively low on MVPI Altruistic. While those high on MVPI Altruistic value actively helping others and improving society, those low in Altruistic may value self-sufficiency and personal responsibility, expecting individuals to solve their own problems and focus on results. While this can drive a high-performance culture, leaders low on Altruistic also risk overlooking the emotional and interpersonal needs of employees. These leaders might benefit from intentionally balancing productivity with empathy and engagement, especially in today’s people-focused work environments. Per Füzér’s experiences with leaders in Hungary, he sees that leaders must deliver on results instead of being concerned with people or employee morale. A typical developmental opportunity he finds with Hungarian leaders is to help them understand that leadership includes focusing on and taking care of the team.
Considering these values together Hungarian leaders bring a distinctive combination of ambition, analytical thinking, and performance orientation to their organizations. They value being recognized for their achievements, rely on data and logic to inform decisions, and prioritize results over emotional support. This profile can drive high standards and innovation, especially in technical or competitive environments. According to Feher, the combination of high Recognition and low Altruistic leads to a tendency to only count on oneself: “Leaders who can make a name for themselves by themselves – a sense of rugged individualism – is rewarded.”
Finally, Füzér shared an example with his coaching of Hungarian leaders: “I was having a discussion with a leadership team and was sharing the importance of providing positive feedback to employees to build morale. A leader asked me, ‘How many times do I need to say thank you on a daily basis to reach double the motivation and morale for my team?’” Füzér saw this as an interesting and clunky combination of high Science and low Altruism; the leader wanted the exact scientific formula for how to improve morale – based on data and for the sake of task-success, rather than a genuine care for his team.
How will Hungarian leaders get want they want?
The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) assesses how individuals relate to others when they are at their best, offering insight into how they work, lead, and achieve success. Hungarian leaders score highest on the Ambition scale, coming across as self-confident, leaderlike, and competitive— scoring nine percentile points above the global benchmark for executives and middle managers. Leaders high in Ambition are typically focused, goal-driven, and persistent in seeing tasks through to completion. They are likely to create organizational cultures that prioritize results and high performance, often motivating teams through achievement-based incentives or even internal competition. However, this same drive can sometimes lead to overly competitive behavior, including with peers or subordinates, and a reluctance to receive critical feedback Feher views Ambition as critical for Hungarian leadership and explains, “If you’re not the one who is individually taking charge, then you’re not going to move forward as a leader.” Füzér also connects Ambition back to Recognition: Hungarian leaders can get their need for visibility met through showing themselves as confident and results-oriented.
The next highest scoring HPI scale is Learning Approach, which reflects a strong interest in staying current with trends and continually expanding one’s knowledge. Hungarian leaders score eight percentile points above the global executive benchmark on this scale, suggesting they enjoy staying informed across a range of topics, both within and beyond their areas of expertise. Feher helps to set the backdrop for high Learning Approach and explains, “Those in this cohort who have achieved success are high on Learning Approach. Education is a major differentiator. If you were open to knowledge; if you received a scholarship; if you learned to speak English or another language; or if you had additional knowledge points, then this is considered a very helpful entry point for organizational success and, eventually, organizational leadership.”
This curiosity complements their high Science motivation, highlighting a deep-seated desire to understand how things work. Füzér agrees that the high Learning Approach dovetails nicely with the high Science: “They help each other. You must be technically on the ‘top’, understanding of everything in your field, and following the newest trends in your given profession to be a successful leader.” However, while Hungarian leaders prioritize their own learning, they may not always extend the same level of commitment to their teams—particularly when considering their lower Altruistic scores. As a result, learning opportunities may be unevenly distributed or not proactively encouraged across the organization.
What will get in Hungarian Leaders’ way?
The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) measures personality characteristics that emerge under stress, pressure, or boredom—when strengths become overused and potentially derail a leader’s effectiveness. These tendencies can damage reputations, strain relationships, and limit long-term success if not kept in check.
For Hungarian leaders, the highest scoring derailer is Imaginative. These leaders are often seen as original, unconventional, and idea-driven—bringing innovation and fresh thinking to the table. Supported by their high Learning Approach, they typically have broad knowledge and novel perspectives. However, under pressure, their ideas may seem disconnected or impractical to others. They can become lost in thought, overly absorbed in abstract concepts, and fail to communicate their vision clearly. Teams may experience them as unpredictable or difficult to follow, especially when execution or clarity is required.
Füzér shares that he sees high Imaginative all the time in his work with Hungarian leaders – probably 4 out of every 5 Hogan debrief sessions includes a high-risk Imaginative scale. That said, these high Imaginative leaders acknowledge and understand their tendencies, instead of resisting the feedback. When it comes time for sharing ideas, Füzér encourages these leaders to pause, look back at their team, and check the understanding of others. Given the combination of high Science, high Learning Approach, and high Imaginative, these leaders often think they have the data backing them and that they know what’s best, especially given that leadership positions provide additional organizational intel and insights. It’s easy to create even more distance between leaders and subordinates. When it comes time to brainstorm with the team, Füzér encourages leaders to give the team an idea or a detail to start the conversation, but allow the team members to share their thoughts and lead the discussion. Instead of engaging in the tendency to jump from idea to idea, allow the team to speak and ask for feedback.
Compared to the global benchmark of executives and middle managers, Hungarian leaders score significantly lower on two other derailers: Leisurely and Dutiful.
A low score on Leisurely—twelve percentile points below the global average—suggests that Hungarian leaders are typically candid, direct, and transparent in their communication. They are unlikely to engage in passive-aggressive behavior or harbor hidden resentment. While they may be assertive or even aggressive in pursuing goals, they generally confront issues head-on rather than working around them. According to Füzér’s perspective, he posits that the high Recognition and high Ambition support a clear communication with others: “When you say what’s on your mind and gain visibility, it’s not possible to be passive aggressive. The passive part just can’t happen if you want people to see you as a leader. You must do it in an active way – even if it results in a debate. If you speak explicitly so everyone will understand, people will view you as a leader.”
Similarly, Hungarian leaders are also twelve percentile points lower than the global average on Dutiful, to the extent that they are considered "no risk" on this scale. Leaders low in Dutiful tend to be independent-minded, self-reliant, and unafraid to challenge authority. They are often resilient and comfortable navigating tough conversations. While this can be a strength—especially in environments that value innovation and autonomy—it may also lead to tension with more hierarchical stakeholders. These leaders may benefit from occasionally tempering their assertiveness with diplomacy, especially when navigating complex organizational dynamics or managing upward.
Feher shares that in Hungary, you’ve got to buck the system to get ahead. Füzér sees a similar tendency towards low Leisurely: High Recognition and high Ambition mean that people with these characteristics do not know how to be accommodating to those above them. They make a decision and move forward. When it comes time to promote a new leader, the decision makers believe that any trends towards being accommodating and dutiful means that person is not leaderlike.
Füzér explains the downsides of Hungarian leadership tendencies: the high Recognition, high Ambition, low Leisurely, and low Dutiful leaders actually produce high Leisurely and high Dutiful followers in bigger quantities. The typical Hungarian leaders are becoming a “one man or one woman show.” Their subordinates acquiesce quickly to the leader – whether or not the subordinates actually agree. These employees may not have the opportunity to share their opinion. They simply nod along with their superior or stay silent. When thinking about the future of Hungarian leadership, will these higher Leisurely, higher Dutiful individuals eventually be the leaders of tomorrow? How will that change organizational culture and outcomes?
What can we learn about Hungarian executives and middle managers?
Hungarian leaders are driven, confident, and intellectually curious, with strong motivations for visibility and a deep interest in learning and analytical problem-solving. They tend to lead with drive, creating high-performance cultures. At their best, they are determined, curious, candid and independent —though under pressure, their imaginative thinking may become unpredictable or unclear. While they may not naturally prioritize emotional support or team welfare, their effectiveness can be enhanced by balancing their drive for achievement with greater empathy and clarity in communication.
When looking to develop Hungarian leaders, Feher encourages a renewed focus on MVPI Altruistic: “The most successful businesspeople – and societies – tend to be more altruistic. It’s something for Hungarian leaders to be mindful of. This doesn’t necessarily mean giving to charity specifically, but to give back to the community or employees in some way.” Feher also encourages Hungarian leaders to continue to transfer the high Imaginative and high Learning Approach to implementation and execution, especially in the entrepreneurial sector: “No unicorns yet from Hungary; we’ve got the ideas, but we can do better through execution.”
Similarly, Füzér sees a tendency to focus on data and results versus people. With the high Ambition, high Learning Approach, high Science, high Recognition, and low Altruistic, there is a focus on results and standing out, but there is much less focus on the people side of the business. In coaching Hungarian leaders, Füzér helps to build awareness of the importance of building the team through the use of data: “It can be difficult to reframe because productivity and success is such a priority for Hungarian organizations. To change leaders’ minds, its important to show data to build the link between developing people and organizational results. When it comes to business continuity and succession planning, you can begin to open organizational leaders’ eyes: if the organization becomes a one man or women show, it will eventually die out when the leader retires, gets sick, or burns out. Current leaders must build the team to develop the next level of leadership for the future of the organization. Attrition can be a good enough reason to start working on the problem. But the leader must realize that today’s results and tomorrow’s results are important.
Many thanks to Zsolt Feher and Gábor Füzér for sharing their insights on Hungarian leaders. We’d be delighted to hear your insights on leadership in your country, as well. It just takes ten minutes!
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