Predicting Executive Performance: Assumptions
By Leslie Pratch
Our research into personality and leadership (among M.B.A. candidates at the University of Chicago and in the field) shows that assessing an individual’s coping style yields a more reliable predictor of leadership among already highly-qualified candidates than any other tool being used in American business.
This post spells out the assumptions at the base of our work. Subsequent posts will describe our methods and run through some case examples.
Our work rests on four assumptions about personality.
One, personality is fundamentally a theoretical construct. We use it to explain how we think, feel, and act. We characterize personality in shorthand terms. Sarah is self-confident and aggressive; Bill, empathic and intuitive. But such characterizations touch only on a few of the many parts that go into the make-up of the whole personality – a rich and complex entity that can be rigorously and scientifically assessed.
Two, the effects of personality on decision making can be predicted. With psychotherapy, certain aspects of personality can be changed.
Three, our personalities are a function of our individual histories, especially our childhoods. This limits the extent to which we can change. Who we will be in the future is a function of the person we are today and who we were in the past; however, changes can be made with the right effort.
Four, our personalities operate at different levels of conscious awareness. Each level affects how we think, feel, and act in ways that may not be obvious or easily measured.
We can think of personality as an iceberg. What’s above the surface is what’s conscious. What’s below the surface is what’s unconscious. In-between is what is preconscious – like the fantasies of Walter Mitty. Much of our behavior is driven by what’s below the surface, by the unconscious parts we don’t see or understand. What goes on at an unconscious level, where we aren’t aware of it, influences what goes on at a conscious level, where we believe we have control.
Yet sometimes we discover we don’t have complete control. This explains why we do surprising things for reasons we don’t understand which may be contrary to our best interests. We have deeper motives; we have hidden fears and wishes – and, because they are hidden, they can lead us to act in seemingly irrational ways.
The more aware we become of these unconscious dimensions of our personality, the more likely we can master them. This mastery is important if we are to behave with appropriate flexibility and strength – some of the hallmarks of active coping. The better we cope, the greater our chances of being successful.
“To cope” commonly means “to deal with or contend with difficulties.” That is how Webster defines it. I use the term to refer to an attitude or style, an overall approach to dealing with life. Active coping is the readiness to adapt resourcefully and effectively to complex and changing conditions. We display it the readiness to strive to achieve personal aims and overcome difficulties rather than passively retreat or be overwhelmed.
Active coping is a stable, albeit complex, psychological orientation across time and circumstance. It comes into play in a specific situation, in the now. It is always the best way to respond to a situation that was not, or could not be, anticipated.
Active copers feed on experience; they incorporate what they have learned into their psychological systems, making them increasingly more capable of tolerating uncertainty and devising new strategies for growth. This leads to greater effectiveness as an executive and from that to better organizational performance.
Whereas active coping seeks to confront and resolve, passive coping is reactive and avoidant. Passive coping is refusing to tolerate the full tension that a situation imposes, for instance, reacting before the facts are sufficiently understood. Passive coping is retreating from reality, tuning out information, and resisting change. It’s dealing with minor problems in order to avoid the anxiety of major problems.
Active coping is what we expect of leaders: the ability to learn; adapt; improvise; mobilize; and overcome conflicts. Executives who are passive copers are far less likely to be successful.
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Leslie Pratch, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist with an M.B.A. in Strategy and Finance and a B.A. in Religion from Williams College. She works with boards of directors and private equity investors to select and develop executives. She can be reached at (312) 464-7919 or email her at leslie@pratchco.com or visit www.pratchco.com.
