The United Kingdom (UK) is a global hub for finance, innovation, and trade, with a long-standing history of economic and cultural influence. A leader in industries such as finance, technology, and the creative sectors, the UK combines tradition with modernity, fostering a business environment that values entrepreneurship, adaptability, and global connectivity. Its strategic position as a bridge between Europe and international markets cements its role in global commerce. Culturally diverse and resilient, the UK continues to evolve amid shifting economic landscapes, including changing trade relationships and policy reforms.
Understanding the personalities of leaders who shape businesses, organizations, and governmental agencies in the UK offers valuable insights into the country’s leadership dynamics. It reveals which behavioral characteristics are rewarded through promotion, which are overlooked, and the unconscious biases influencing decision-making at the highest levels. The recent transition from a long-standing Conservative government, typically more business-oriented and growth-focused, to a Labour government, often more supportive of public services like health and education, has prompted many businesses to reassess their resources. With tighter budgets and less disposable capital, CEOs and executive teams are now seeking strategic ways to drive growth, both organically and through partnerships or acquisitions, while placing a renewed emphasis on human capital.
At Hogan Assessments, our benchmark of more than 5,700 UK leaders provides a comprehensive view of leadership trends. Hogan’s benchmark includes vast industries, from banking and finance to IT and from healthcare to manufacturing. For in-depth insights, we collaborated with leadership experts in the UK for their insights into market trends and leadership expectations. These included Adrian Furnham, PhD, professor of psychology at University College London; Rob Read, global head of assessment solutions at LHH; and Burak Koyuncu, PhD, senior vice president, head of LHH leadership development. Given that leaders play a pivotal role in organizational success, analyzing how they build relationships, drive results, and find motivation helps uncover key insights into the leadership culture shaping the UK’s institutions and businesses.
What Do UK Leaders Want?
Hogan’s Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI) measures the core goals, values, drivers, and interests that determine what people desire and strive to attain.
Hedonism
UK leaders’ highest scoring value is Hedonism, valuing good times, entertainment, and fun. Compared to the global benchmark of executives, UK leaders score below the average percentile score on every MVPI scale except for Hedonism, which scores four percentile points above the global benchmark of leaders. Leaders who score high on Hedonism take strong personal and professional interest in pleasure, excitement, and variety of experiences. They may be perceived by colleagues or subordinates as impulsive, dramatic, flirtatious, and the life of the party. These leaders tend to approach life and work with a “work hard, play hard” mentality, and they likely create an organizational and team culture of enjoyment and fun. For example, UK leaders may enjoy grabbing a beer at the pub after work and chatting with colleagues and subordinates about both life and work. On the flip side, they may have an unintentional, unconscious bias against those who prefer formality and restraint.
According to Furnham, a South African-born psychologist residing in the UK: “Anyone who has lived in the UK and mixed with successful businesspeople soon recognize that they know ‘how to party.’ Despite all the modern trends of workplace austerity and constraints, you need only to go to the city of London after work to see what ‘work-hard, play-hard’ means. While there may be a dispute over the word or concept of ‘Hedonism,’ I suspect that most will accept the concept that ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.’”
Similarly, Koyuncu, a Turkish-born OB and HR expert who is currently residing in the UK, observes that work events are quite important to the work culture, from an annual offsite to the office Christmas party. We can see the high Hedonism in the value leaders place on after-work activities like going to the pub together.
Security
Apart from the highest scoring MVPI scale, we can also look at the lowest scoring scales to understand motivation. In looking at the global benchmark of executives, Security emerges as the lowest value amongst all executives; however, Security is especially low amongst UK executives—13 percentile points lower than the global average. Leaders who score low on Security tend to be perceived as risk-taking and limit-testing. They may also be perceived as assertive and adventurous. These leaders likely tolerate ambiguity well and may be less concerned with physical and financial security. They likely create organizational or team cultures where risk-taking, innovation, and initiative are recognized and rewarded. These leaders may hold an unconscious bias against cautiousness, conforming to the status quo, and passivity, possibly inadvertently overlooking subordinates with these qualities.
Both Read and Koyuncu observed that UK executives probably already have their need for personal security met, whether through generational wealth generation or through the social services provided through the UK government. According to observations from Koyuncu, UK executives are used to a steady and predictable country with a government that is willing to intervene when necessary to ensure economic conditions stay relatively stable. Additionally, Read shared the growing emphasis on innovation amongst organizations and their leaders. The priorities that UK organizations are placing on innovation are appearing across the country: from a country-wide initiative called “Innovate UK,” which provides tax breaks to organizations prioritizing innovation in key sectors, to businesses across the country that now require partner firms to provide an innovation strategy. Read acknowledges that UK executives will naturally lean into these innovation initiatives, but to make this a reality across an organization, a team or otherwise will require different behaviors to make the most of that investment.
How Will UK Leaders Get What They Want?
The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) measures how we relate to others when we are at our best. It provides valuable insight into how people work, how they lead, and how they achieve success.
Sociability
UK leaders score high on Sociability, behaving socially proactive and gregarious. Sociability is both UK leaders’ highest scoring HPI scale and is four percentile points higher than the global benchmark of executives. Leaders who score high on Sociability tend to be described by colleagues and subordinates as outgoing, talkative, entertaining, and dynamic. They probably make a great, memorable first impression, and they often enjoy being the center of attention, whether speaking at a town hall or networking at an all-company event. Likely, these leaders are visible and well-connected, building social networks inside and outside their organization. However, they may have difficulty genuinely listening to the feedback of employees, and they may come across as gregarious, overbearing, and easily distractable.
According to Furnham’s research and insights with UK leaders, “Leadership is a contact sport. Introverts need to look like extraverts. Communication within and between businesses is at the heart of the enterprise.” Koyuncu agreed, explaining, “Compared to the rest of the population, those who are socially proactive get into leadership.” Koyuncu also connected UK leaders’ high Hedonism with their high Sociability, suggesting that leaders in the UK must engage in social networks internally and externally to get ahead in their careers and get the chance to be the leader.
Prudence
In looking at the other side of the coin, UK leaders’ lowest scoring HPI scale is Prudence, the degree to which someone seems process-focused and rule-abiding. Compared to the global benchmark of executives, UK leaders score six percentile points lower. Leaders who score high on Prudence are often viewed as good organizational citizens, conscientious, and organized. On the other hand, leaders who score low on Prudence tend to be flexible, open-minded, and open to doing things in different ways. UK leaders may come across as tolerant of ambiguity, and they likely work well without boundaries, established processes, and rules.
However, UK leaders may be perceived as impulsive and ignoring organizational rules and policies. These leaders may assume that processes are optional and thus may choose not to abide by them. They may lack a thorough plan or fully consider the potential consequences of their actions and decisions. According to Koyuncu, UK organizations, including the government, tend to be stable and predictable, with processes and procedures set in place. People standing out and rising into leadership roles go beyond the normal procedures, and they are flexible enough to take the lead, think outside the box, and work more strategically.
When taken together, the combination of high Sociability and low Prudence reveals leaders who are socially proactive and adaptable, looking for new opportunities through a broad social network and quickly adapting as they come; however, this combination puts these leaders at risk of coming across as overly impulsive, distractible and at risk of making hasty, poor decisions. Furnham explains, “At their best, British business leaders value being adaptable and flexible. At their worst, they may ‘sail too close to the wind.’"
What Will Get in UK Leaders’ Way?
The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) measures overused strengths that emerge in times of increased strain, pressure, or boredom. If not managed, these qualities can damage one’s reputation and relationships, derailing one’s career and success.
Mischievous
UK leaders’ highest scoring derailer is Mischievous, engaging in risk-taking and limit-testing behaviors. These leaders score three percentile points higher than the global benchmark of executives. Leaders who score high on the Mischievous scale tend to act quickly, chase excitement and variety, and push boundaries, especially when stressed or bored. These leaders have their own goals, which may or may not align with the organization’s goals, and they are not afraid to bend the rules to get what they want. For UK leaders who are motivated by enjoyment and excitement, they may be oblivious to the ramifications to their team who they may try to manipulate to get their way. Not considering their impact on their team members can have negative effects on the success of the teams. Although these leaders may make a memorable first impression, their employees may find them difficult to work with because they downplay mistakes, take ill-advised risks, and fail to fully evaluate the consequences of their choices ahead of time. Koyuncu explains that leaders in UK organizations need to influence stakeholders over time. To get things done in a more stable and predictable market, leaders who charm, politic, and even manipulate to get their desired outcomes may get work done and rise to positions of power.
Bold
UK leaders’ lowest scoring derailer is Bold, revealing a 12 percentile point difference lower than the global benchmark of executives. Leaders who score high on Bold tend to be demanding, self-promoting, and entitled. For UK leaders who score low risk on Bold, they tend to be perceived as confident, energetic, unconditionally optimistic, and tolerant of others’ shortcomings. Even under stress and pressure, these leaders maintain energy and optimism to lead employees through difficult times, and they don’t resort to intimidation to get their way.
According to Read, British people – including UK leaders – tend to be much more reserved when it comes to their achievements: “If you tend to be a ‘showboat,’ people will take notice. Coming across as arrogant or entitled does not hold itself well in UK culture generally, including work culture. People feel that arrogance is a turn-off.” Furnham corroborates by explaining, “It’s thought to be very bad form to be boastful and self-promoting or to demand respect from others. The idea is that success is its own reward. However, people in the UK do ‘humble bragging’ well.” In Koyuncu’s view, leaders influence, but they must do it in a low-key way. They need to be humble and maybe even sneaky, combining high Mischievous and low Bold. However, he sees that the low Bold can actually be a potential gap for UK leaders: “With no or low Bold, it can be difficult for leaders to inspire followers to rally around a vision.”
What Can We Learn from UK Leaders’ Personality Data?
In analyzing the personality trends of UK leaders, distinct patterns emerge that shape their leadership approach and organizational culture. UK executives’ strong value of Hedonism suggests a “work hard, play hard” mentality, fostering dynamic and socially engaging workplaces. Their low emphasis on Security highlights a degree of comfort with risk-taking and ambiguity. On the bright side, high Sociability paired with low Prudence reinforces a leadership style that is outgoing and adaptable but potentially impulsive and inattentive to detail. Additionally, from the perspective of the dark side, their elevated risk on the Mischievous scale indicates a propensity for boundary-pushing and risk-taking, while lower Bold scores suggest a more tolerant and optimistic approach. In combination, these insights provide a deeper understanding of the behavioral drivers shaping UK institutions and the potential biases that influence leadership decisions.
According to Read, UK leaders do have the risk-taking capacity (low Security) and flexibility (low Prudence) to meet this moment of innovation; however, he encourages leaders to have the boldness to take their ideas through. The most beloved UK organizations tend to be “steady eddies” with stable, year-over-year growth on the books; however, Read encourages UK leaders of organizations to stay agile and confident to adapt as the market requires. Similarly, Furnham explains that UK leaders “are not good managers of the day-to-day running of businesses, so they hire the best and get on with what they enjoy doing the most. All those stereotypes of the polite, introverted, bank-manager-business leader probably were never true of the British, who have always secretly admired the ‘movers-and-shakers,’ ‘swashbucklers,’ and ‘go-getters.’”
Many thanks to Dr. Adrian Furnham, Rob Read, and Dr. Burak Koyuncu, for sharing their insights on UK leaders and organizations.
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