The Dark Side: How to Read an HDS Report

The last post covered the HPI, the bright side of personality: how someone shows up day to day, at their best. This post covers the Hogan Development Survey (HDS), the instrument that measures what happens when "at your best" stops being true.

What the HDS Actually Measures

The HDS describes 11 tendencies that show up under stress, boredom, or pressure. Hogan calls these derailers, and the name is deliberate: these are the qualities that quietly undo careers, usually because they never get named until they've already caused damage.

Every one of us has some of these tendencies. They aren't disorders or diagnoses, and having them doesn't mean someone is unfit to lead. It means there's a specific set of conditions under which their performance is more likely to slip, and knowing that in advance is exactly the point.

The other thing worth knowing before you read a report: unlike the HPI, the "low" end of an HDS scale isn't automatically the safe end. Both directions carry a version of the risk. A little tension between strength and weakness runs through the entire instrument, which is part of why it takes a trained eye to interpret well.

The Eleven Scales

Excitable — emotional volatility under stress. Low scores can seem to lack passion or urgency. High scores show dramatic emotional peaks and valleys about people and projects.

Skeptical — trust and suspicion. Low scores can seem trusting to the point of naïve. High scores are negative or cynical, and tend to expect betrayal.

Cautious — risk tolerance and fear of failure. Low scores take risks without adequate assessment. High scores are reluctant to take risks regardless of the assessment.

Reserved — indifference to others' feelings. Low scores can be overly concerned with others' feelings. High scores are indifferent to them.

Leisurely — passive resistance. Low scores can appear to lack an agenda or direction. High scores are passive-aggressive and agenda-driven.

Bold — self-confidence and entitlement. Low scores can lack self-confidence and resolve. High scores are assertive, self-promoting, and overly self-confident.

Mischievous — risk-taking and rule-testing. Low scores are conservative, compliant, and often unadventurous. High scores are impulsive, limit-testing, and at times devious.

Colorful — attention-seeking and dramatic flair. Low scores are modest, unassuming, quiet, and self-restrained. High scores are attention-seeking, dramatic, and socially prominent.

Imaginative — unconventional thinking. Low scores are practical, rely on routine, and often lack new ideas. High scores can seem impractical, unpredictable, and offer unusual ideas.

Diligent — perfectionism and micromanagement. Low scores have poor attention to detail and tend to over-delegate. High scores may be inclined to micromanage.

Dutiful — deference to authority. Low scores are overly independent and seem to resent authority. High scores are excessively eager to please superiors.

Putting It Together: A Hypothetical Profile

Say a company is evaluating a candidate for a VP of Sales role, we'll call him Sam. His HDS shows elevated Bold and elevated Mischievous, with the rest of the profile in a moderate range.

That combination has an obvious upside for a sales leader: confidence, a willingness to push boundaries, and comfort testing the edges of a process to close a deal. Under normal conditions, it can look like exactly the drive the role needs.

Under pressure, that same combination is where the risk shows up. Elevated Bold can tip into overpromising and a resistance to feedback, since it comes with real self-confidence that can crowd out other people's input. Elevated Mischievous can tip into cutting corners when a deal is on the line. Neither is a reason to rule Sam out. It's a reason to build in checks, like a second set of eyes on customer commitments or a manager comfortable pushing back, so the strength doesn't curdle into the risk when the quarter gets tight.

That's what the HDS is for: not predicting who will fail, but naming, in advance, the specific conditions under which someone's performance is most likely to slip, so a manager or coach can plan around it rather than get blindsided by it.

Where the HDS Fits

The HDS is the pressure-tested half of the picture: what shows up when things get hard. Paired with the HPI's bright-side view and the Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory's (MVPI) view of what actually drives someone, you get a far more complete picture than any one instrument provides alone. That's also why the combined validity of all three (.54) is nearly double the HPI on its own (.29), a number we covered in the first post in this series.

Next up: the MVPI, and why what motivates someone often matters as much as what they're capable of.