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.

Truth, Lies and Work

HubSpot Podcast Network

279. The Leadership Assessment Tool we're ALL using wrong, with Chartered Occupational Psychologist, Juliette Alban-Metcalfe

FEB 26, 202645 MIN
Truth, Lies and Work

279. The Leadership Assessment Tool we're ALL using wrong, with Chartered Occupational Psychologist, Juliette Alban-Metcalfe

FEB 26, 202645 MIN

Description

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: [email protected] – 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.