Meeting the HR community in Pärnu city

On Thursday of last week, it was a pleasure to meet with the Pärnu HR community in the Metsä Wood office and introduce new and exciting directions in the assessment of managers in the context of both recruitment and development. Thank you to Katarina Reimaa from JABS and Tuuli Veemm from Gamecan for the invitation. Although the main focus was on Hogan’s assessment instruments and interesting empirical findings both in Estonia and elsewhere, in reality it was a one-stop shop about various topics that focus on the person and his character.

Some fragments:

👉 As a rule, people end up in job roles that fit their nature, provided that the environment offers enough choice for this.

👉 Personality traits can support the acquisition of certain skills (inherent assumptions), but can also be an obstacle. For a top professional with a risk of perfectionism who finds himself in the role of a team leader for the first time, developing delegation skills may require more effort than others.

👉 There are unproductive traits in human nature that manifest themselves in situations when it is difficult for him to regulate his behavior (stressful and crisis situations, fatigue, drinking alcohol, etc.). Also in relationships where he/she feels comfortable and can show “true colors” (friendships, but why not also teams that have worked together for a long time).

👉 Unproductive traits are difficult to identify in a job interview, as this is where people always show their best sides. In an organization, the difficult character of a manager is first experienced by his subordinates. The immediate manager may not even be aware of this at first.

👉 It is no secret that often very successful players in business, politics, culture, etc. have a difficult character. It has been talked about as an Apple paradox in reference to the late Steve Jobs, who, despite his sometimes anti-human leadership style, was still able to build a globally successful business organization.

👉 Awareness of one’s own nature and influence on others does not yet automatically imply a desire to regulate one’s own behavior (“I am a narcissist and proud of it”).

👉 A high concentration of unproductive personality traits can create anchors in the team and organization (indecisiveness, non-recognition of mistakes, work bullying, postponement of dealing with unpleasant topics, seeming cooperative spirit, lack of responsibility, etc.).

👉 While people in leadership roles have many similarities in personality profiles (they are confident, ambitious, tactful, helpful, conscientious, and curious), to be successful, in addition to personal qualities, you need a certain level of maturity, a toolbox of different leadership and leadership skills, and an understanding of where and when to use them effectively.

👉 The data of Estonian managers (N=1000+), which we have collected during various managerial search assignments, show that compared to the global norm group (N= ca 150,000), our managers are more flexible, but also more impulsive, and they like to push boundaries more. They love fewer rules and frames and want more freedom and leeway from their leader.