Defining Leadership

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There are numerous perspectives and fundamental disagreement about the true definition of leadership. The good news is, most definitions of leadership fit into two broad categories. On one hand, we can think of a person who has a supervisory or management title as being a leader. On the other hand, we can think of a person who supports and guides a group to work toward common goals as being a leader. The first definition is based on a person’s formal role within an organization. The second definition is based on the function the leader serves and the group’s outcome.

Most books about leadership either explicitly or implicitly define leadership in terms of who is in charge, as does much of the academic study of leadership. The assumption is that leadership is about the position rather than the person. How do you know someone is a leader? You see if they have a title that implies they are in a leadership role. How do you study leadership to understand what it is about? You find people who are in leadership positions and study what they are doing. Who writes books about leadership? People who have been in leadership positions. Whose leadership books get published? Those who have had leadership titles in companies with recognizable brands. How does one get better at leadership? They read those books. The authors must know something about leadership, because they have been in leadership positions, right?

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Transformational Leadership: It’s Not What You Think

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The idea of transformational leadership sounds good when taken at face value. A transformational leader is someone who instills pride, respect and trust in its followers. They inspire and motivate people beyond expectations, sparking innovation and change. And, if you look up “transformation” in the dictionary, you will see it defined as “a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance.” So, what organization wouldn’t want to introduce some form of transformational leadership to respond to the disruption caused by the current digital revolution?

Although transformational leadership seems like a good idea in theory, it is nothing more than charismatic leadership with a different and more appealing name. A recent study published by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology shows that there is plenty to dislike about charismatic leadership. In fact, there is little evidence to show that there is a strong correlation between charisma and effective leadership. So, because charismatic leadership and transformational leadership are essentially the same thing, it’s important to understand how this style of leadership has been so widely adopted across the globe.

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RELEVANT Managementberatung Partners with ICF Germany for German Prism Award (Applications are open)

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Hogan distributor, RELEVANT Managementberatung, has partnered with the International Coach Federation Germany chapter to present this year´s German Prism Award, awarded to companies making a difference in the coaching community through professionalism, quality, and data.

The selection process and criteria were modeled after ICF’s International Prism Award, which has been granted annually since 2005 to companies that stand out through the establishment of a coaching culture with extraordinary results in difficult change processes. Past winners of this prestigious award include Coca Cola, SAP, Airbus, and several other prominent companies.

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Infelligent Hosts “Refresh Mindset for Leadership Forum”

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Infelligent Coaching & Consulting, Hogan’s distributor in Taiwan, hosted a “Refresh Mindset for Leadership Forum,” on April 12. Their audience of nearly 100 guests was comprised of many distinguished corporate leaders. Ken Sun, General Manager of Microsoft Taiwan, and Enid Tsai, General Manager of Hiwin Technology, shared their success stories based on Hogan related concepts. Abby Hsieh, Managing Director of Ogilvy Group Taiwan acted as the moderator.

In his opening remarks, Jim Hwang, General Manager of Infelligent, shared insights on transforming talent selection strategies. Based on Hogan’s research on Humility and Emergence vs Effectiveness, he suggested that corporations should not identify talent only based on performance approval, likability and willingness – these are common traits we often find in charismatic people who are not necessarily effective leaders. Studies show humble people make the effort to develop teamwork and help others; they focus more on team success rather than personal glory. Identifying high potential candidates with scientific assessments like the Hogan assessments, differentiates emergent leadership (generated by charisma) and effective leadership (generated by humility) and finds the leaders who are focused on building effective teams; who invites new ideas and feedback; who are willing to admit mistakes; and who gives credit to the teams and colleagues.

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Advanced People Strategies and CRF Explore Implications of Digital Disruption

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Advanced People Strategies (APS), authorized Hogan distributors for the UK, has once again, teamed up with Corporate Research Forum (CRF) to explore the implications of Digital Disruption for leaders and leadership development.

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We live in an era of digital disruption, characterized by the rise of digital technology, the emergence of new competitors, reshaping of traditional industry rules and boundaries, which brings with it an accelerating pace of change and increasing complexity. For organizations, future success and business sustainability rely on the ability to adapt to these changes. To succeed in this new economy, organizations are having to build the capacity for fast innovation underpinned by:  

  • Agility: The ability to anticipate changing market conditions and adjust quickly.
  • Rapid decision making and prototyping through collaborative team working.
  • A culture of curiosity, experimentation, and learning.
  • A tolerance for risk.
  • Pragmatic vision and the skill to devise corresponding objectives, boundary parameters, key results, and metrics that matter.

Leaders need to both develop these capabilities themselves and foster them within their organization. In short, leadership must evolve in response to the changing context. 

The research report explores the implications of the Digital Age specifically for leadership and leadership development. We examine how the role and expectations of leaders are changing in the Digital Age and review the implications of these changes for leadership development practices. 

Interested to read the report? Contact APS today!

*This post was authored by the Corporate Research Forum.

VIDEO: Michal Kosinski, Pioneer of Measuring Personality in the Digital Age, Speaks in Tulsa

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Hogan was honored to host a special event on May 21 featuring Stanford University Professor Michal Kosinski, a world-renowned data scientist and psychologist.

Remember Cambridge Analytica? You know, the political consulting firm that mined personal data from Facebook users without their consent to influence the 2016 Presidential Election? Well, Kosinski was the data scientist who first demonstrated one’s Facebook “likes” can predict their personality better than friends or family.

Kosinski had been warning the public of the risks and challenges brought by the digital revolution long before Cambridge Analytica’s inception, and he turned down an opportunity to work with the organization because of the legal and ethical implications that were inevitably to follow. Since then, his research has been brought to the forefront, including a cover story for The Economist, an interview with Fareed Zakaria to discuss the role of big data in the 2016 election, and he authored an op-ed in the New York Times about how Facebook sells data despite its claims.

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VIDEO: Hogan’s Karen Fuhrmeister Delivers TEDx Talk at University of Tulsa

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Have you ever taken a Buzzfeed quiz to tell you what Harry Potter house you’re in? Or maybe what character from The Office you are most like? How much weight do you put on the results of those quizzes? Would you want companies making hiring decisions based on similar assessments?

In March, Hogan Senior Research Consultant Karen Fuhrmeister gave a TEDx Talk at the University of Tulsa on “The Science Behind Hiring Assessments: It’s Not a Waste of Time.” The talk aimed to inform students and other attendees about the use of personality assessments in the workplace, and how this trend isn’t going away any time soon. In fact, it’s becoming more and more likely that those going through the interviews will be asked to take one of these assessments.

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CEO Assessment and the Performance of Portfolio Companies

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*This post was co-authored by Robert Hogan and Rob Kaiser, and was originally published by Hunt Scanlon Media.

In the final analysis, business is about money and people. By definition, successful private equity firms understand finance, but on average they tend to be less sophisticated about people issues. This makes sense: deal partners and analysts are trained in finance and are good at spotting undervalued assets. But savvy private equity players also understand that reviving an underperforming business depends to a large degree on people issues—in particular, it depends on the leadership of the portfolio company and its working relationship with new ownership.

Considerable evidence suggests that PE firms could do a better job evaluating the ability of the leadership team in their acquired companies. A recent survey by Alix Partners found that nearly three-quarters of portfolio company CEOs are removed during the investment life cycle. Over half are replaced in the first two years; but only 15% are replaced at the outset. These data suggest that, for 4 out of the 5 replaced CEOs, the decision takes too long, thereby delaying strategic milestones and prolonging the hold time.

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VIDEO: Dr. Adrian Furnham Makes Special Visit to Hogan HQ

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The Hogan team recently hosted Dr. Adrian Furnham at its global headquarters in Tulsa for a special visit. As one of leading personality psychologists in the world, Furnham has a been a vocal advocate of using Hogan for decades. He regularly points to Hogan in media interviews and articles as the most accurate predictor of workplace performance in the world, and he also was a key figure in the 2014 documentary, The Science of Personality.

As part of his visit, Dr. Furnham delivered a special presentation to the Hogan team highlighting the research he’s been doing. Here’s the full-length version of his talk:

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News from India

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India’s financial and commercial capital, Mumbai, played host to the inaugural Hogan Users Conference organized by ThreeFish Consulting, the Master Distributor for Hogan Assessments in India on February 27th. The series aims to provide an ideal platform for the Hogan Users Community in India to interact with luminaries in the field of leadership and talent development from India along with key global Hogan practitioners and leaders.

The inaugural Hogan Users Conference focused the spotlight on the interrelationship between personality, leadership, and performance, and featured panel discussions covering a wide range of topics. The list of speakers featured luminaries in the field of leadership and talent development from India along with key global Hogan practitioners and leaders, including Ryan Ross, Managing Partner, Hogan Assessments; Dustin Hunter, Practice Manager, International Distributors, Hogan Assessments; and Gus McIntosh CEO, Winsborough Consulting, the New Zealand Hogan Assessments distributor. Delegates also engaged in some post-lunch fun during the Fireside Chat session, when they shared some interesting stories using fun props!

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