“You’re wrong. I’m right,” says the boss. Later, when the opposite proves true, the line changes: “Look, that wasn’t my fault.” If you’ve ever worked with a leader who’s unwilling to admit their mistakes or listen to feedback, you’ve seen how overconfident leadership can manifest problems in the workplace. A worst-case scenario is that arrogance can sabotage goals, careers, and companies.

Self-confidence is a beneficial personality characteristic . . . right until it goes too far. In Hogan terms, confidence to the point of arrogance is described by the Bold derailer. So, how can we mitigate problems stemming from overconfident leadership? Let’s examine personality characteristics, potential consequences, and development strategies to help leaders discern the difference between confidence and arrogance.

Exhausted? Feeling cynical or negative? Checking out? It’s not just you—especially if you’re an HR professional. As much as burnout today is a global experience, it has taken an especially serious toll on the very people who are deeply concerned with occupational well-being: human resources professionals. So, what’s led to the widespread HR burnout?

Too much change too quickly with too few resources. The toll of remote and hybrid work, quiet quitting, layoffs, turnover talent shortage, increased concern for employee well-being, and global AI uncertainty has seemed to fall squarely on the shoulders of the HR department. Unsurprisingly, about half of HR professionals say their stress has increased somewhat and about a quarter said it increased dramatically in 2024.

When HR professionals spend their time trying to boost companywide well-being, they sometimes pay with their own. Reduced effectiveness from HR burnout has a trickle-down effect to other employees, similar to how caregiver burnout affects dependents.

Read on to learn why the personality characteristics that make HR professionals excellent at their work also dispose them to burnout—and how organizations can help protect them.

The future leadership of your organization matters. Think about it. Who would be ready to lead if your CEO were to leave?

Organizations naturally want their top employees in a high-potential program, but identification processes based on performance aren’t working. You’d think that close to 100% of participants in high-potential programs would be above-average leaders, but no. More than 40% of the participants are actually below-average leaders, with about 12% in the bottom quartile of effectiveness. Imagine what happens when one of these unsuitable leaders advances to the C-suite . . . and then flops. Consider that the CEO alone can influence as much as 55% of a firm’s overall value. Any degree of executive derailment, or unmanaged behavior under stress and pressure, can easily cost millions,not to mention indirect losses in productivity, engagement, and reputation.

Nobody else has your personality. Unique individuality is the concept that no one ever has been, is, or will be precisely like you. It’s also what differentiates human intelligence from artificial intelligence. But uniqueness is more than a feel-good concept. When we measure individuality with personality assessments, we can predict performance, empower behavioral change, and better understand ourselves and each other.

Ryne Sherman, PhD, and Blake Loepp spoke with Nigel Nicholson, PhD, emeritus professor of organizational behavior at London Business School, about the theories behind his newest book, Unique You. Nigel said, “In psychology, individuals are mostly regarded as a nuisance, a disturbance, error variants. Whereas for me, everybody’s an exception. That’s the only approach that makes sense.”

A team leader who hesitates to make decisions stifles innovation, delays progress, and quietly trains their team to stop trying. Here’s how it works: The team presents an idea, and the leader says, “Hmm, let me think about it.” Then nothing happens. The next idea gets the same response. Suggestions for change and improvements stall on their desk. Eventually, the team learns to stop innovating because the leader seems to prefer the status quo.

If this scenario sounds familiar, you have probably experienced an overly cautious leader. This kind of behavior can damage team performance and slow progress on critical business objectives.

World history and literature are full of stories and legends of underdog leadership: people who have defied the odds of expected defeat. How do they find a way to lead others to success? And what makes underdogs so appealing that we feel compelled to cheer for them?

Ryne Sherman, PhD, and Blake Loepp spoke with Peter Harms, PhD, Frank Schultz Professor of Management at the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Business, about the psychology of underdog leadership.

Many technical experts are promoted into management as a reward for excellent performance, then struggle almost immediately. The skills that made them expert individual contributors don’t translate to effective performance in leadership roles. For technical leaders, leadership development can be the difference between success and failure.

Ryne Sherman, PhD, and Blake Loepp spoke with Kevin Mitchell, PhD, talent and organizational development manager at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, about developing technical experts into leaders.

Read on to learn about the mindset shift that can be a struggle for technical leaders, why expertise isn’t necessarily an asset anymore, and four specific strategies for an effective technical leadership development program.

The only certainty about 2026 is uncertainty. AI deployment is accelerating, skills demands are evolving, and the workforce is anxious. These forces make effective leadership more essential than ever—and personality assessment especially critical for organizations facing bewildering transition.

Understanding these talent challenges is necessary for organizations looking to maximize the strategic value of personality assessment this year. Organizational effectiveness will rely on making objective decisions about people based on accurate, reliable, and scientifically validated personality assessment data. In 2026, we are committed to using our gold-standard assessments to help people and teams achieve the extraordinary—especially amid rapid global change.

Workplace gossip has a reputation problem. Most view gossip at work as disruptive, unproductive, or even toxic to company culture. But informal communication through social networks may serve an important organizational purpose. Leaders need to understand that workplace gossip can be beneficial or harmful, depending on how it’s used and managed.

Some leaders see threats everywhere. A colleague’s suggestion becomes a power play. A team member’s question becomes insubordination. Constructive feedback becomes a personal attack. When skepticism tips into chronic distrust, it doesn’t merely damage relationships. It derails leadership effectiveness.

These are clear signs of workplace cynicism. Skepticism serves leaders well when it sharpens judgment and uncovers hidden risks. But when it becomes excessive, leaders appear mistrustful, negative, and hypercritical, damaging the very teams they lead.