When we think about individuals who score high on the Hogan Development Survey (HDS) Mischievous Scale, words like risky, manipulative, fun, impulsive, and charming, often spring to mind. These are all qualities that are commonly associated with people who fit the Mischievous profile, but what do these descriptors really mean when placed in a business context? PCL’s Chief Psychologist, Gillian Hyde, explores.
Positives of scoring highly on the HDS Mischievous Scale
Individuals who score high on the HDS Mischievous scale are often seen as:
- Charming and persuasive: They can win people over with their engaging personalities.
- Spontaneous and adventurous: They thrive on excitement and change, always seeking the next challenge.
- Risk-taking: They’re comfortable with taking risk.
- Nonconformist: They tend to do things their own way, not adhering to traditional rules or norms.
Their energy and charm make them enjoyable to be around, especially when they’re in their ‘effective zone.’ However, high scorers on the HDS Mischievous Scale can be challenging to work with. Possible downsides include:
- Impulsivity: Acting without thinking of long-term consequences.
- Restlessness: Constant search for something new, which can be exhausting for those around them.
- Deceitfulness: White lies and bending the truth may become part of their modus operandi, leading to issues of trust.
- Risk-taking that others find reckless: These individuals often take risks without considering the consequences for others, which can lead to conflict.
How can we expand our vocabulary to describe this scale?
To expand on vocabulary and descriptors, I turned to the work of clinical psychologists who have studied the personality disorder framework. While the HDS has its structural roots in the taxonomy of personality disorders, it is an assessment of related characteristics in the normal range working population. A few key writers in this field who have re-framed the personality disorders in normal range, everyday life include Oldham & Morris and Theodore Millon. While their work doesn’t necessarily change what we know about the Mischievous scale, it does contribute a richness to the vocabulary we can use to describe the scale.
In their book, ‘The New Personality Self-Portrait’, Oldham & Morris describe the normal range of antisocial personality disorder (the disorder related to Mischievous) as the ‘Adventurous Style’. This style can be captured by the following eight characteristics, which cast a new light or at least a new vocabulary on Mischievous:
- Non-conformity: Having your own internal code of what you want to do and what you think is okay.
- Challenge: A strong desire to do things differently, the mindset that to live is to dare.
- Excitement-seeking, thrill-seeking: Enjoying engaging in high-risk activities.
- Mutual independence: They worry less about others and expect everyone to be responsible for themselves.
- Persuasiveness: A very influential and silver-tongued individual who excels in influencing people.
- Wanderlust: A restless quality, constantly moving from one job or location to another without worrying about finding work.
- Wild Oats: In childhood and adolescence, the adventurous personality might have been fairly high-spirited. It’s a potential avenue for discussion.
- True grit: A courageous, risk-taking personality, capable of standing up to people who challenge them and feeling comfortable in conflict situations.
These individuals embrace the here and now, living without regrets, and they tend to focus on the present rather than the past.
How do these traits manifest at work?
Oldham & Morris suggest that these people like to be faced with challenges and so may choose extreme roles, such as a fighter pilot or a stunt person to fulfil these desires. Their approach to work often involves bending the rules and finding flexible work environments that allow them to thrive.
They possess an unusual degree of comfort in conflict situations and are at ease doing things their own way. In the workplace, they see life as one big opportunity to do what they please. They are not fans of traditional systems or being constrained by them. They need constant challenges to stay engaged, otherwise they risk becoming bored. As such, they might prefer jobs that allow them to be adventurous, like being an entrepreneur, where they don’t have to answer to authority.
These individuals are less inclined to be traditional managers, as they resist authority and find little interest in tedious follow-through. They excel in creative, non-traditional environments but can be leaders rather than managers. While they have the vision, charisma, and ideas to inspire others, they might struggle with effectively managing people long-term due to their need for novelty and dislike for routine.
Theodore Millon suggests people with this style can fit and be rewarded in competitive environments like business, the military, or politics. He notes that traits such as toughness, rule-bending, and self-sufficiency are often valued in these high-stakes settings.
Managing Mischievous individuals
Coaching someone high in Mischievous tendencies can be challenging. They might be charming and seem on board but could secretly reject the ideas and strategies you’re proposing. They might underplay the importance of their mistakes and show little remorse. As a coach, you’ll need to strike a balance between being firm in holding them accountable and recognising that they might minimise or even dismiss their past actions.
A powerful technique could be reframing and recasting their past mistakes, encouraging them to see things from another perspective, especially from the viewpoints of others who were affected. It’s crucial not to be swayed by their charm; maintaining a firm stance will help ensure that the coaching process leads to real change.
Coaching strategies for those scoring high on the HDS Mischievous Scale
The coaching focus for these individuals is about working with, rather than eliminating, their characteristic styles. You could help them to devise strategies to reduce the potentially negative impacts of their behaviours and work toward more productive and acceptable actions within their professional environment. For example, you can use exercises such as a “crossing the line” exercise to illustrate the line between using their charisma and charm effectively versus manipulating or crossing boundaries for personal gain.
Another strategy to elicit deeper understanding would be to ask them to evaluate how their actions and behaviours are perceived by others. They could be coached how to use decision trees to help them slow down before impulsively acting or perhaps engage in role-playing exercises to improve their ability to accept and learn from negative feedback. By helping them reframe their actions and reflecting on the consequences, a coach can guide them toward more effective behaviours that are likely beneficial both for themselves and for their teams.