This old adage is so true whether applied to recruitment methods, meetings or retaining talent to name but a few areas.
Blog
Are you Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Sheev Palpatine or Count Dooku?
The disruptions to our daily routines, uncertainty about finances, concerns about becoming infected or losing loved ones, and isolation are creating unprecedented levels of stress. No one is going to be at his or her best under these circumstances; the COVID-19 pandemic has created a perfect storm for our dark sides to emerge...
Dark-side personality traits were first identified by Robert Hogan, who defined them as counterproductive behavioural tendencies that emerge when people are not actively managing their reputations. Dark-side personality traits emerge during times of high stress, and are essentially coping mechanisms people use to manage these situations. Hogan noted that seemingly normal people can blow their tempers, disappear, avoid making decisions, or micromanage others when stressed. They're also more likely to demonstrate these dysfunctional behaviours at home, because people tend to manage their public reputations at work more than they do their reputations with their own families.
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly increased the odds that leaders, managers and employees will exhibit the dysfunctional behaviours associated with dark-side personality traits.
When overused, what would normally be considered a strength can cause problems at work and in life. Strengths that could become performance risks under stress, boredom, or uncertainty; personality-related risk factors and blind-spots that derail careers. It's therefore important to remember that stress tolerance differs from person to person, and that some people are more prone to stress than others.
Hogan’s research indicates that the Adjustment Scale is predictive of stress tolerance. Those who score lower on Adjustment are more likely to feel and experience stress than those who score higher. What is key as leaders, managers and individuals is learning to manage these “dark side” behaviours through strategic self-awareness; the gap between our identity (how we see ourselves) and our reputation (how others see or experience us).
Also as important is knowing what situations trigger your derailing behaviours. If you understand the situation you're in and whether you are at risk of derailing, you can think more strategically about the tactics you can use in the moment to manage it as effectively as possible.
Realise that we live in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world, and even more so currently;
Aspire to recognise, through self-awareness, what could be your triggers in certain situations which could release your "derailers", and;
Do think more strategically to manage your Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Sheev Palpatine or Count Dooku!
Dark-side personality traits were first identified by Robert Hogan, who defined them as counterproductive behavioural tendencies that emerge when people are not actively managing their reputations. Dark-side personality traits emerge during times of high stress, and are essentially coping mechanisms people use to manage these situations. Hogan noted that seemingly normal people can blow their tempers, disappear, avoid making decisions, or micromanage others when stressed. They're also more likely to demonstrate these dysfunctional behaviours at home, because people tend to manage their public reputations at work more than they do their reputations with their own families.
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly increased the odds that leaders, managers and employees will exhibit the dysfunctional behaviours associated with dark-side personality traits.
When overused, what would normally be considered a strength can cause problems at work and in life. Strengths that could become performance risks under stress, boredom, or uncertainty; personality-related risk factors and blind-spots that derail careers. It's therefore important to remember that stress tolerance differs from person to person, and that some people are more prone to stress than others.
Hogan’s research indicates that the Adjustment Scale is predictive of stress tolerance. Those who score lower on Adjustment are more likely to feel and experience stress than those who score higher. What is key as leaders, managers and individuals is learning to manage these “dark side” behaviours through strategic self-awareness; the gap between our identity (how we see ourselves) and our reputation (how others see or experience us).
Also as important is knowing what situations trigger your derailing behaviours. If you understand the situation you're in and whether you are at risk of derailing, you can think more strategically about the tactics you can use in the moment to manage it as effectively as possible.
Realise that we live in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world, and even more so currently;
Aspire to recognise, through self-awareness, what could be your triggers in certain situations which could release your "derailers", and;
Do think more strategically to manage your Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Sheev Palpatine or Count Dooku!
Blog Posts
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“If you do what you’ve always done; you’ll get what you’ve always got”Posted by Jacqueline Jardine - Tuesday, 22nd February 2022 at 11:30am
This old adage is so true whether applied to recruitment methods, meetings or retaining talent to name but a few areas.
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One of the positives of the pandemic is that there is no longer the monopoly on leadership due to position.Posted by Jacqueline Jardine - Friday, 17th December 2021 at 9:30am
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I have previously written about "Belonging - what does this mean to you?" (http://j-w-c.co.uk/blog-display/293). I want to now build on this and consider it from a team's perspective and what it means if you are a manager leading a team currently.Posted by Jacqueline Jardine - Wednesday, 8th December 2021 at 8:15am
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Earlier this year, I completed my Mental Health First Aider Training (MHFA) England, something I had wanted to do for a little while.Posted by Jacqueline Jardine - Friday, 19th November 2021 at 8:15am
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Recently, I was delivering the "First 90 Days in your New Role" for LHH. This is a workshop which generates great discussion around helping people who are still interviewing to find their next appropriate opportunity and to think about how they would answer this question at interview.Posted by Jacqueline Jardine - Tuesday, 21st September 2021 at 3:15pm
