At Hogan, we have a unique assessment that measures the dark side of personality. Most people have some dark-side behaviours that can emerge when they’re activated. These can destroy relationships and careers. So, what activates your dark side?

On episode 124 of The Science of Personality, cohosts Ryne Sherman, PhD, and Blake Loepp spoke with Jackie Sahm, MA, vice president of integrated solutions at Hogan Assessments, about why understanding and managing the dark side of personality is so essential for leaders. “Particularly in leadership roles, derailing behaviours can have a toxic effect on the team,” she said.

Three Categories of Dark-Side Derailers

The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) measures dark-side personality tendencies. Derailing behaviour associated with the 11 scales can appear during times of stress, pressure, complacency, or whenever someone is not self-managing. (More on this soon!)

Jackie beautifully expressed the dark side using a metaphor: “It’s your shadow. Sometimes it’s fully behind you and under control. Other times, you cast a long shadow right out in front where everyone can see it. Your dark side doesn’t turn on and off like a light switch. It’s always with you. What happens in your environment or in your own mind can cause it to activate.”

The Dark-Side Themes

HDS derailers are grouped into three categories or themes, called Moving Away from Others, Moving Against Others, and Moving Toward Others.

• Moving Away – This theme concerns managing stress by finding ways to distance yourself from others. A picture of this category would be an absentee leader who disappears during stressful times.
• Moving Against – This theme relates to dealing with stress by dominating, charming, or manipulating others. Imagine an executive who addresses perceived threats or challenges by “puffing up” or seeming larger, louder, or stronger.
• Moving Toward – This theme concerns handling stressful situations by acquiescing or gaining favour with people. An example of this behaviour would be a manager trying to escape criticism by striving for perfection.

Of course, these categories are generalisations. The 11 HDS scales each have their own style, and the way they interact with other scales adds complexity. One thing they all have in common is that when activated, the dark side has the potential to become destructive.

What Activates the Dark Side?

The presence of stress and pressure can activate the dark side. It can also be activated by the absence of stress and pressure, brought on by boredom, complacency, or familiarity, all of which can cause someone to stop trying to manage their behaviour.

“Understanding and reflecting on what stimuli cause us to behave in these not very attractive or adaptive ways is an exercise in self-awareness,” Jackie said. “We are not generally aware of when those triggers are happening. If we can heighten our awareness, we have a much better chance of controlling the behaviour.”

Take the HDS Excitable scale. When a high Excitable person’s dark side activates, they can reach a point of no return where they lose control of their emotions. But if they can identify the cues for their high Excitable response, they can stop before they reach that point of no return. These might be physical sensations such as rising body temperature, increased heart rate, or muscle tension. “Identifying those triggers can prevent incidents that can be real reputation destroyers,” Jackie observed.

Common Dark-Side Triggers

While dark-side triggers are specific to each individual, they are often related to real or perceived threats. When someone feels at risk of losing something—even something intangible like status—the dark side can become activated. “We see a lot emerge with interpersonal conflict,” Jackie added. People variously respond by trying to keep peace, win an argument, or walk away.

Another trigger concerns how people respond to different audiences or groups. A leader may have loyal responses to authority. The same leader may behave confrontationally with their direct reports because of the power differential. Similarly, a leader in their comfort zone could have a different derailing response when they are no longer the expert.

Many other situations can activate the dark side—deadlines, challenges to values or expectations, uncertainty caused by new situations, lack of resources, power seeking, and more. Triggers can also stack up—and domino throughout a team. “Let’s say you’re already triggered, and then something else comes along. A layering effect can absolutely happen with derailers,” Jackie stated.

Dark-Side Derailers in Leaders

When comparing an individual contributor to a leader, you might see differences in what activates their dark side. The scope of power or control can also influence how the dark side emerges.¹ “If you take a big risk and you hold a big post, the consequences could be catastrophic,” Jackie explained. Individual contributors tend to manage their self-presentation with more attention because they may be new to the role or organisation. On the other hand, leaders are likely to face more triggers, and derailers have significant consequences at the leader level.

“When the dark side is activated, it’s usually an impulse that happens without your conscious control. Identifying that impulse is a huge exercise in awareness,” Jackie said. “But it is not nearly enough to identify the trigger or reflect on the consequence.” Knowing about the negative effects of smoking doesn’t necessarily result in quitting!

A Tale of Two Leaders

Let’s consider two examples, HDS Mischievous and Dutiful. Mischievous refers to taking risks, testing limits, and seeming untrustworthy. When a high Mischievous leader feels the urge to break a rule or test a limit, they might practice “camera check awareness.” Would they take those actions while being filmed? Would they use those words on the record? If the answer is no, they’re derailing.

Dutiful refers to seeming overeager to please, deferential, and ingratiating. Always saying yes can make a high Dutiful leader appear to lack conviction, confidence, and credibility. When they feel the impulse to please or acquiesce to others, they might pause to imagine themselves as a political candidate. Their actions and decisions become part of their permanent voting record, so to speak. This perspective shift can help them express their opinions more courageously.

In the former example, the high Mischievous leader begins to identify derailment. In the latter, the high Dutiful leader begins to modify behaviour.

Assessment-based coaching can help leaders visualise different scenarios and practice roleplaying. Skilled coaches help leaders develop strategic self-awareness, build new habits, and implement behaviour change when the dark side activates.

Listen to this conversation in full on episode 124 of The Science of Personality. Never miss an episode by following us anywhere you get podcasts. Cheers, everybody!

*This article originally appeared on Hogan Assessments.