Turning strengths into strategic assets: what Hogan tells us about HR leadership

I’ve been using the Hogan assessment for years with my individual coaching clients and in group training programs. Naturally, I was thrilled to come across this article from Hogan that specifically analyzes the HR population and their responses to the HPI, HDS and MVPI. According to Hogan's research, HR leaders typically demonstrate several attributes that organizations increasingly recognize as essential for business success. Understanding these attributes can provide a powerful framework for leveraging them as strategic leadership advantages. The research reveals that HR professionals:

• "Tend to get along with others and avoid conflict," positioning them uniquely to build psychological safety and foster inclusive environments—increasingly critical leadership competencies in today's workplace.

  
  

• Score higher on Altruistic scales and lower on Power scales, showing a preference for helping others rather than engaging in competition. According to Hogan's analysis, HR practitioners typically "desire helping others (higher Altruistic)" while enjoying "both work and life (higher Hedonism)." This values-oriented approach may account for why many HR practitioners decided to work in HR in the first place – and what keeps them there.

  
  

• Typically "focus on procedure and implementation," with strengths in operational leadership. This systematic approach to execution provides valuable stability when implementing organizational changes or people strategies, particularly during periods of transformation.

  
  

• "Typically prefer to make decisions based on experience and instinct rather than objective data (lower Science)." This intuitive approach to decision-making, grounded in practical experience with people and organizations, offers a valuable perspective.

So what does this mean for you?

You can turn these strengths into powerful leadership assets when strategically applied:

• Position your relationship focus as strategic EQ: Your relationship orientation isn't just "being nice." It's sophisticated emotional intelligence that drives engagement, retention, and team effectiveness.

  
  

• Showcase your values as a business advantage: In a business landscape increasingly concerned with ethical leadership and purpose, your emphasis on altruistic values can become a competitive differentiator.

• Apply your implementation strengths to change initiatives: Your procedural focus makes you uniquely qualified to translate abstract strategies into practical reality. This is especially valuable during organizational transformation.

  
  

• Leverage your experience: Your preference for experience-based decision-making can set you apart from leaders in other functions who rely solely on data to guide their decisions. Using a combination of both approaches can lead to a practical, people-focused approach.

  
  

Reading this article helped me to recognize several themes that I’ve noticed in HR clients that I have worked with. Many of them become “hidden gems” with valuable strengths that are not fully recognized, even by themselves. The Hogan research demonstrates that HR professionals possess a distinct profile that contributes significantly to their effectiveness. By deliberately recognizing and strategically leveraging these strengths, HR professionals can transform them into distinctive leadership assets.

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I work with female senior leaders in Human Resources who feel stuck to help them love their work or find work they love. I write about:

👂 Executive & career coaching

📄 Career development and career transition

🎯 Job search strategy

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