Which personality traits are actually promoted in your organization? Could there be patterns where certain qualities are encouraged more in men than in women – and how does this impact who gets promoted to leadership positions?
When discussing career development and promotions, we often focus on performance and experience, but personality also plays a critical role. Aligning an individual’s motivations and natural strengths with the demands of the role is not only reasonable but essential for ensuring success. But is it possible that different personality traits are favoured depending on whether the person is male or female?
Research shows that men and women are often judged by different standards. We’ve observed similar patterns with some of our clients, where, for instance, task orientation is seen as a positive in men but troublesome in women. How do these differences influence your promotion process? And most importantly – have you analyzed which personalities are encouraged in your organization, and whether this differs by gender?
It’s time to ask these questions to ensure that promotions are based on the right criteria, not unconscious biases or expectations related to gender.
To truly understand which personality traits are valued in your organization, it's important to use tools that provide objective insight into employees' natural behaviors and motivations. By systematically mapping out personality, you can get a clearer picture of which qualities tend to be rewarded – and whether these differ depending on whether the person is male or female.
According to Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, author of Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?, men are often rewarded for excessive confidence – a trait that can be mistaken for leadership ability. Research shows that men who display high levels of dominance and self-assurance are promoted faster, even when their performance doesn’t necessarily justify it.
Dominance and competitive instinct are qualities we also frequently observe in our analyzes of clients and their leaders, where many male leaders exhibit high dominance paired with task orientation in their Predictive Index (PI) profiles.
Women, on the other hand, are often expected to demonstrate stability and precision. According to McKinsey's Women in the Workplace 2023 report, women face more obstacles in their careers, and their promotions are often contingent on these more traditional traits. This can make it harder for women to advance if they do not meet these expectations.
We recognise the same with our clients, where we notice that the expectations for female leaders tend to differ from those for male leaders, with female leaders often being more people-oriented than their task-oriented male counterparts.
This means that while men may be promoted for their confidence and competitiveness, the same traits are not encouraged or rewarded in women, which ultimately leads to a gap in leadership roles between genders.
To create a fair and inclusive work environment, it is important to analyze your existing leadership. Using Predictive Index (PI), you can examine your current leaders and their personality traits to identify patterns in promotion decisions. Are there differences in how men and women are evaluated and promoted? By using PI as a tool, you can gain insights into whether you unconsciously favour certain personality traits based on gender.
Steps to ensure a fair promotion process
Review your promotion criteria: Create objective job profiles for your roles using PI. Define the personality traits and qualities needed to succeed in each specific role. This reduces the risk of subjective evaluations and ensures the same criteria apply, regardless of gender.
Encourage different leadership styles: By using PI, you can identify a broad range of leadership styles that encourage different personalities to thrive. Objective job profiles enable you to value the right competencies and strengths, rather than relying on stereotypical expectations and biases.
Train managers and provide them with the right tools: Promotion decisions can be influenced by unconscious biases. Through PI training, you can help your managers become more aware of how they recruit and promote objectively, beyond traditional gender stereotypes.
By implementing PI and consciously analyzing your promotion processes, you can create a workplace where everyone has equal opportunities to advance.
Considering personality in promotion decisions is not only fair but necessary to find the right person for the right role. By using PI to analyse and challenge your existing patterns, organizations can ensure that everyone, regardless of personality or gender, has the same opportunity to advance in their career.
Are you ready to take the next step towards a fairer promotion process? Contact us today to learn more about how PI can help you create an inclusive workplace where talent is recognised without bias.