Leadership development today is saturated with positivity. Strengths-based coaching, motivation workshops, and inspirational assessments dominate the field—all designed to help leaders become their “best selves.” But what if the real risk to long-term leadership success isn’t the absence of strengths… but the presence of unaddressed derailers?
A compelling new study in Behavioral Sciences—“Leveraging Leadership Development to Pre-Empt Leader Derailments”—makes a strong case for a shift in how we develop leaders. It doesn’t argue against strengths-based work; it simply points out that for many leaders, those same strengths can become liabilities. And that when failure happens, it rarely comes from a lack of talent—it comes from what the study calls “the wrong stuff.”
As someone certified in the Hogan suite, I’ve seen this firsthand. The very qualities that help leaders rise—confidence, decisiveness, drive—can, under pressure, become arrogance, rigidity, or avoidance. Left unchecked, they erode relationships, credibility, and performance. These aren’t rare outliers. According to the research, up to 50% of leaders are either ineffective or at high risk of derailment—and those failures are often painfully visible at the senior levels.
We Don’t Need More Coaching. We Need Earlier Intervention.
The dominant approach to leadership derailment today is reactive: send in a coach when things go sideways. But as the study outlines, by the time coaching begins, the damage is often done. Relationships are frayed, confidence is low, and trust has deteriorated. The leader may be defensive, disillusioned, or too burned out to meaningfully change.
This is what the article terms a “last-minute” approach—waiting until a leader is visibly struggling, then rushing to save them. And while I believe deeply in the power of coaching (I’ve seen it transform lives), coaching alone isn’t the answer—especially not when it’s too late.
That’s why this research calls for a “preventative medicine” model of leadership development—a system that helps leaders build awareness of their derailers early in their careers, before they become embedded patterns or public breakdowns.
Derailers Aren’t the Opposite of Strengths—They’re Something Else Entirely
One of the most striking points in the study is its emphasis on the distinction between the “right stuff” and the “wrong stuff.” Derailers are not simply the flip side of strengths. They are separate, sometimes unconscious patterns—rooted in personality, defense mechanisms, or stress responses—that tend to surface in high-stakes environments.
The Hogan Development Survey (HDS), which I use regularly in my practice, was designed to identify precisely these patterns. Traits like boldness, diligence, or imagination can be incredible assets in the right context—but when overused or misapplied, they become blind spots. The study offers a sobering reminder that what helps you rise can just as easily cause your fall.
The Five Interventions That Could Change Leadership Development
- Make the “Wrong Stuff” Part of the Conversation
Most leadership programs focus solely on strengths and success traits. But what if we normalized conversations around derailers? The study suggests using anti-competency frameworks—real, anonymized case studies of leadership failure, tied directly to known derailers. As someone who integrates Hogan data into development conversations, I know firsthand how transformative it is when a leader sees their own risk patterns clearly and earlier in their career—not at the point of crisis. - Embed Derailers into 360 Feedback Tools
Traditional 360s focus on what leaders do well. But derailers often show up in the gaps—those subtle but destructive behaviors that emerge under stress. When assessments include derailment factors, the feedback becomes not just affirming but actionable. Combining multi-rater data with tools like Hogan’s dark-side profiles offers a more complete picture of how a leader shows up—especially when stakes are high. - Train Early, Especially High Potentials
The study shares an excellent example of using leader derailment data to train rising leaders before promotion. Participants learned about derailment risks, reviewed their own Hogan results, and built development plans supported by coaching. This is exactly the kind of integration I use in my work—connecting data with behavior, and building intentional, research-informed development paths that prevent the “default to derail.” - Invest in Specialized Coaching for Derailers
Coaching derailing leaders isn’t like standard development work. It often requires deeper insight into personality structure, regulation, and maladaptive behavioral patterns. This is where expertise matters. Many of these leaders need structured guidance, trauma-informed coaching approaches, and regular supervision from a qualified peer or clinician. It’s work that sits at the intersection of organizational psychology and leadership science—and it’s not for generalists. - Support Transitions More Rigorously
Derailments often spike during transitions—especially into senior roles. New responsibilities, unclear expectations, and lack of feedback can all amplify underlying derailers. The article suggests onboarding should extend over 12–18 months and include multiple touchpoints: stakeholder feedback, coaching, Hogan-based assessments, and feedback loops designed to surface patterns before they harm relationships or performance. In my Leader Revival work, this is a key part of how I support sustainable growth—making sure that leadership development keeps pace with the evolving complexity of the role.
Why This Matters Now More Than Ever
The field of leadership development is at a crossroads. We’ve spent decades focusing on potential, strengths, and style—which are all important. But if we want to build organizations where people don’t dread coming to work, where leaders actually model what it means to flourish, we must move upstream. We must treat derailment as preventable—not inevitable.
This isn’t a shift that can be made with coaching alone. It requires better assessments, earlier interventions, a broader understanding of what leadership failure really looks like, and the will to address the messy, human side of leadership.
As someone certified in the Hogan suite and deeply immersed in this research, I can say with confidence: this is where the future of leadership development lives.
And it’s where Leader Revival was designed to meet it.
If you’re ready to get serious about proactive leadership development—for yourself or your team—let’s talk. Whether you’re navigating a transition, managing a high-potential leader, or trying to avoid the costly fallout of a misstep, the time to act is before the cracks appear.
Let’s build something sustainable.
