A collection of thoughts, reports
and articles from the Facet5 team

Can personality assessments be manipulated? We often get a mixed response. Some will say, “well, of course not.” Others say, “most probably.” The honest answer is more nuanced. In most development contexts, people respond sincerely. But in high-stakes situations, those that are more important such as recruitment, promotion, succession decisions, human beings naturally become more self-presenting.

Most organisations invest considerable effort in identifying future leaders. Yet there is a challenge that many organisations continue to face. Potential does not automatically translate into leadership readiness. And when individuals are promoted before they feel prepared for the realities of leadership, both the individual and the organisation can feel the impact.

When organisations talk about psychological safety, the conversation often centres on culture. But there is another aspect that HR and L&D leaders should be considering; who shapes psychological safety most directly? The answer is often not the executive team.

Most organisations would never expect every employee to learn in exactly the same way. Yet leadership development is often delivered as though every leader develops in exactly the same way. The same content. The same frameworks. The same leadership models. The same development experience. While these programmes can provide valuable tools, they often overlook one important reality: Leadership is deeply personal.

One of the most common assumptions organisations make is that strong performance predicts leadership success. After all, if someone consistently delivers results, demonstrates expertise and earns the respect of their colleagues, promoting them into leadership feels like the logical next step. Yet many HR and L&D leaders will recognise a familiar pattern.