Brazil, the largest economy in Latin America, is known for its vast natural resources, cultural diversity, and influential role in regional and global markets. Its economy is powered by a broad range of sectors—including agriculture, energy, finance, and technology—with a growing emphasis on innovation and digital transformation. A member of BRICS and a key player in South-South trade, Brazil combines global ambition with strong local traditions. Despite economic fluctuations and political complexity, Brazilian businesses are marked by resilience, adaptability, and a deep sense of hierarchy and relationships in organizational life. Understanding this context is essential to understanding how Brazilian leaders operate.
Hogan Assessments has personality data for employees and leaders around the world. Our benchmark of more than 2,800 leaders in Brazil spans diverse industries and sectors. By analyzing the data of those in leadership roles, we can uncover the traits most emphasized, as well as those that may be underappreciated, within Brazilian organizations, offering insight into how leadership is defined, developed, and rewarded.
We collaborated with Roberto Affonso Santos, managing director at Ateliê RH, an authorized Hogan distributor in Brazil for 22 years, to uncover practical insights from leaders across Brazil. By examining how these leaders approach building relationships, driving performance, and finding purpose, we aim to better understand what makes Brazilian leadership unique—and what it means for organizations navigating this fast-evolving market.
What Do Brazilian 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. This assessment measures the inside of personality, or an individual’s drivers and motivators.
Tradition
On the MVPI, Brazilian leaders’ highest scale is Tradition. In fact, Brazilian leaders score 13 percentile points above the global benchmark of executives. Leaders who score high on Tradition value history and convention. These individuals likely have a high standard of conduct and well-established principles that drive their decision-making and behavior. They value rules, established procedure, and formality and care about maintaining tradition, customs, and socially acceptable behaviors. They typically believe there is a right and wrong way to do things and encourage structured approaches to completing projects and tasks.
Hedonism
On the other hand, Brazilian leaders’ lowest scoring motivator is Hedonism, scoring eight points below the global benchmark of executives. Leaders who score high on Hedonism prefer fun, light-hearted organizational cultures and share a “work hard, play hard” ethos. Brazilian leaders who score low on Hedonism tend to prefer professional and formal work environments. They may prefer to take work more seriously and to find their enjoyment outside of their workplace.
In combination, Brazilian leaders’ high scores on Tradition and low scores on Hedonism suggest a strong preference for structure, formality, and established norms, alongside a more serious and professional approach to work. Their values profile reflects a leadership style grounded in principles, discipline, and respect for hierarchy, with less emphasis on fun or spontaneity in the workplace. Such leaders likely thrive in environments with clear expectations, shared standards of behavior, and a sense of duty toward work rather than recreation.
Santos provided an interesting perspective on Brazilian leadership: This combination of high Tradition and low Hedonism runs counter to the global stereotype of Brazilians as carefree lovers of soccer, beaches, and carnival, with little regard for structure or conservative values. Yet, in practice, new firms often find this science-based perspective confirmed. Brazilian leaders follow rules, uphold standards, and focus squarely on business, despite the challenges posed by Brazil’s bureaucracy, taxes, and regulations.
How Will Brazilian 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.
Ambition
Brazilian leaders’ highest scoring HPI scale is Ambition, coming across as self-confident, driven, and leaderlike. Compared to the global benchmark of executives, Brazilian leaders score one point higher on Ambition. Leaders who score high on Ambition tend to set and achieve audacious goals; often, they are highly self-assured and achievement oriented. However, they could come across as overly competitive, intimidating, and forceful to others.
Prudence
Brazilian leaders’ second highest scoring scale is Prudence—scoring 12 points above the global benchmark of executives. Leaders who score high on Prudence tend to be rule-oriented, dependable, organized, and process-driven. These leaders are likely quite focused on implementation and compliance; however, to others, they may appear rigid, inflexible, and change resistant.
Brazilian leaders’ HPI profile suggests a leadership style that is both goal-oriented and highly disciplined. These leaders are likely to be seen as confident, driven, and capable of setting and achieving challenging objectives, while also valuing structure, reliability, and rule-following. Compared to their global executive peers, they stand out for their strong focus on both performance and process. While this combination can support effective execution and leadership presence, it may also seem overly controlling, rigid, or overly competitive in high-stakes environments.
According to Santos, Brazilian organizational culture often reflects high Tradition, valuing hierarchy, adherence to rules, and centralized, top-down decision-making. Other data sources align with Hogan’s findings, revealing a blend of authoritarianism and risk aversion, tempered by flexibility and resilience in navigating heavy regulatory constraints—embodying the jeitinho brasileiro, or the Brazilian way of thriving in complexity. This triad of high Tradition, Ambition, and Prudence is common among leaders in Brazilian companies. However, Santos said, that multinationals tend to favor a different mix, with lower Tradition and Security, displaying greater risk tolerance and more moderate levels of process and rules orientation.
What Will Get in Brazilian Leaders’ Way?
Finally, Brazilian executives demonstrate an interesting finding on the Hogan Development Survey (HDS). The HDS measures overused strengths that emerge during increased strain, pressure, or boredom. If not managed, these qualities can damage one’s reputation and relationships, derailing one’s career and success.
Bold
At 12 percentile points above the global benchmark of executives, Brazilian leaders’ highest scoring derailer is HDS Bold. Interestingly, this is the only HDS scale on which Brazilian leaders score above the global benchmark; all other HDS scales range from one to 12 points below the benchmark of executives. Those who score high on Bold tend to move from being confident and assertive to entitled and arrogant under pressure and stress. These leaders may even overestimate their own abilities, become overly confident, and fail to listen to feedback from their bosses, peers, and subordinates.
Reserved
Brazilian leaders’ lowest scoring HDS scale is Reserved, scoring 12 percentile points below the global benchmark of executives. Those who score high on Reserved tend to be socially withdrawn and tough. However, those who score low on Reserved tend to be perceived as polite, kind, and considerate. Brazilian leaders tend to read people quickly and try to understand the perspectives of others. When asked, they can usually deal with and support others’ emotional storms.
Brazilian leaders’ HDS results suggest a pattern of interpersonal confidence combined with social sensitivity. Their elevated scores on Bold indicate a tendency to maintain strong self-assurance, even under stress, although this confidence can sometimes tip into arrogance or resistance to feedback. However, their notably low scores on Reserved point to an underlying warmth and interpersonal awareness that likely tempers some of the risks associated with Bold. These leaders are generally approachable, empathetic, and emotionally attuned, which may help them maintain strong relationships and navigate social dynamics effectively, even when under pressure.
Santos further explained the trends he has observed. In times of stress and pressure, their blend of high Tradition and high Prudence can manifest in an overuse of power and self-confidence. According to Santos, Brazilian leadership can be paternalistic and authoritarian, summarized in the quote: “Do what I say, and I’ll treat you well.” When centralized authority is challenged, it can be summed up in the humorous sayings: “You’d better obey what comes from above,” and “The leader commands, and those with good judgment will obey.” That said, this leadership is tempered by the warmth, hospitality, and informality of the low Reserved, especially when welcoming outsiders. Low Reserved tendencies make leaders charismatic and skilled at consensus-building, yet their informal style and lack of filter can be seen as evasive, depending on the audience.
What Can We Learn About Brazilian Leaders?
Taken all together, the Hogan results paint a picture of Brazilian executives as principled, driven, and socially attuned leaders. Their motivational profile (MVPI) reflects a strong preference for structure, tradition, and professionalism, with an emphasis on doing things a certain way and maintaining high standards of conduct. From a day-to-day behavioral standpoint (HPI), they come across as ambitious and disciplined—setting bold goals while remaining focused on process, organization, and execution. Under pressure (HDS), Brazilian leaders show a tendency to become overly confident and resistant to feedback, yet their low Reserved scores suggest they remain approachable, empathetic, and considerate of others. This profile suggests a leadership style that is goal-focused and values-driven, balanced by emotional intelligence and a deep respect for structure and tradition.
Santos shared that Hogan’s research data capture important elements that differentiate Brazilian executives from global leaders. The key differentiators make sense within the historical, political, and economic context of Brazil, particularly Brazil’s 300-year colonial past and its independence in 1822. A few elite, wealthy families have dominated politics and commerce, with a strong impulse to command and control. This tendency has been heightened by more than 20 years of military dictatorship from the 60s to 80s, which fueled the prevailing leadership style. The preference for high Tradition, Prudence, Ambition, and Bold leaders will likely be maintained while democratic governments wrestle with that strongly concentrated power.
While command and control are themes seen in Brazilian organizations, Santos challenged the status quo. In his view, leaders should consider the effect this style has on employee engagement as well as succession planning, he said. Leaders may inadvertently block the success of others, and they should consider how they can bring teams along with them for more sustainable leadership. Receiving feedback and input from others doesn’t mean a decrease in power; rather, inclusivity can increase power and influence!
Many thanks to Roberto Affonso Santos and the team at Ateliê RH for their expertise and insights into the Brazilian market.
