Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets organisational culture.
In the corporate world, we are obsessed with personality. We use DISC, Myers-Briggs, and Enneagrams to "colour-code" our colleagues and predict who will be a great leader. But what if we’ve been looking at the wrong data?
In this episode, we sit down with Juliette Alban-Metcalfe, a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and CEO of Real World Group. Juliette is at the forefront of leadership research, building on the groundbreaking work of her mother, Professor Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe.
Juliette argues that personality only explains a tiny fraction of leadership success. Instead, the real "magic sauce" is behaviour—the specific, observable actions that leaders take to engage their teams and foster success.
In this episode, we discuss:
-
Personality vs. Behaviour: Why what you do matters infinitely more than who you are according to your personality test results.
-
The "Accidental Manager" Trap: Why founders and technical experts often struggle to transition into leadership and how 360-degree feedback can bridge the gap.
-
Predictive Validity: The science behind why leadership behaviours can predict up to 60% of a team's motivation and fulfilment.
-
Psychological Safety: How to use assessments to build trust and development rather than fear and judgement.
-
Actionable Advice for Leaders: Two simple things every leader can do today to immediately improve team engagement.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re "not a natural leader" or if you're an HR professional frustrated with the lack of ROI from personality workshops, this episode is a masterclass in the science of what actually works.
🔗 Connect with Juliette
– LinkedIn: Juliette Alban-Metcalfe
– Website: Real World Group
📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
– LinkedIn: Truth, Lies & Work
– Al Elliott: LinkedIn
– Leanne Elliott: LinkedIn
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat
🧠 Mental Health Support
UK & ROI — Samaritans: Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org
UK — Mind: Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk
US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org
Australia — Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global Helplines — https://findahelpline.com
Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
