The Science of Personality Podcast

Hosted by Hogan Assessments

Business Careers Science

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Episodes

180

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Personality affects the way we relate to the world and the people in it, how we work, who we love, and how other people see us. Although the study of personality is centuries old, our ability to understand and control such a complex and abstract concept is relatively new in the context of history. Featuring some of the world’s leading experts in personality psychology and business, this podcast explores the impact of personality on life, leadership, and organizational success.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 16, 2026Episode 15250 min

Personality and the Secret Life of Organizations

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake are joined by Hogan Assessments founder and president, Robert Hogan, PhD, to talk about his new book, Personality and the Secret Life of Organizations. If you’ve listened to even one episode of this podcast, it is highly likely you have been impacted by this man because that’s the magnitude of his legacy on personality psychology. So, we were thrilled to have him on this episode to talk about the book and learn more about what he means by “the secret life of organizations.”Buy the book: Personality and the Secret Life of Organizations

June 2, 2026Episode 15157 min

Balancing Team Engagement and Psychological Safety

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake are joined by Melvyn Payne, Commercial Director at Advanced People Strategies, one of Hogan’s fabulous distributors in the UK, to talk about finding the right balance between team engagement and psychological safety. More specifically, we look at the role personality plays through the lens of Hogan data. This is something Melvyn and his team at APS have made a priority recently as they continue to deliver best-in-class team solutions for their vast client portfolio.

May 19, 2026Episode 1501 hr 13 min

The Leadership Divide: Global Leadership Effectiveness Study Findings

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake are joined by Hogan’s Managing Director of Asia Pacific, Krista Pederson, and Hogan Senior Consultant in the APAC region, Nicole Dickie, to discuss the findings of Hogan’s Global Leadership Effectiveness Study. Anyone who uses Hogan’s personality assessments or listens to this podcast knows that identifying effective leaders is at the core of what we do at Hogan. The study, which compares personality assessment data from over 21,000 executives in Hogan’s global database with survey responses from nearly 10,000 full-time employees across more than 120 markets, revealed some really incredible insights, including a striking disconnect between the characteristics executives display and the qualities employees say define effective leadership. Krista and Nicole were two of the key people to get this study off the ground, and they join us in this episode to discuss the findings now that the results are in. The Leadership Divide: Global Insights on Who Leads vs. Who Should

May 5, 2026Episode 14951 min

Courageous Conversations: Forward Talk with Gustavo Razzetti

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake are joined by author Gustavo Razzetti, who has written multiple best-selling books, including Remote Not Distant: Design a Company Culture to Thrive in a Hybrid Workplace, Stretch for Change: How to Improve Your Change Fitness and Thrive in Life, and his latest book, Forward Talk: The Bold New Method for Getting Teams Unstuck, hits shelves and online stores today on May 5th. In this episode, we talk with Gustavo about courageous conversations people must have in the workplace to avoid team derailment and to help teams thrive through productive conflict. This is at the core of his new book and we’re thrilled to have him on the podcast to discuss this very important topic.Buy Forward Talk: The Bold New Method for Getting Teams Unstuck

April 21, 2026Episode 1481 hr 8 min

Why Do People Respond to Change the Way They Do?

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake are joined by Dr. Victoria Grady, Associate Professor of Management at George Mason University's Costello College of Business, to talk about change. More specifically, we dive into the psychology behind why people respond to change the way they do. Change affects us all, but how it affects us varies widely. Some find change to be personally disruptive or destructive, while others seem to just roll with the punches. So, what’s going on here? We discuss that and so much more with Victoria in this episode.To learn more about Victoria, check out her TEDx Talk here.

April 7, 2026Episode 1471 hr 6 min

ChatGPT Interviews Ryne and Blake

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, ChatGPT interviews Ryne and Blake about personality, leadership, and team dynamics. Yes, you read that correctly. Ryne and Blake answer 10 questions generated by ChatGPT in what turned out to be a fun and thought-provoking discussion prompted by one of the world's most popular AI engines.

March 25, 2026Episode 1461 hr 12 min

The Personality of Evil

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake are joined by world-renowned author and journalist, Jack El-Hai, to discuss the personality of evil, with a specific focus on the personalities of authoritarians and fascists. This was the focus of his best-selling 2013 book, The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, which inspired the 2025 movie, Nuremberg, currently streaming on Netflix, which features not one, but two Academy Award winning actors. In the movie Russell Crowe plays the part of Nazi war criminal Hermann Göring and Rami Malek plays the role of Douglas Kelley, the US Army psychiatrist assigned to evaluate the personalities and mental capacities of high-ranking Nazis leading up to the Nuremberg trials. Again, this was all inspired by Jack’s book which Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gilbert King describes as “a harrowing narrative that brilliantly probes the depths of evil.” So, that begs the question: What is the personality of evil? Buy the Book: The Nazi and the Psychiatrist

March 10, 2026Episode 14556 min

Skills Needed in an AI-Driven World

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake talk about one of the top headlines in the media today that isn’t going anywhere in the foreseeable future: With the exponential proliferation of artificial intelligence and its impact on the global workforce, what skills will humans need to remain relevant and employed? Opinions vary on what that impact will look like. Some think AI is coming for all of our jobs and will sooner rather than later deem human workers unnecessary. Others think we’re on the verge of an AI bubble and the technology is starting to plateau. And then there’s those who realistically, or at least optimistically, see a future somewhere in between. Ryne and Blake discuss this and so much more in this new episode.

February 24, 2026Episode 1441 hr 15 min

Unique Individuality

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake are joined by Nigel Nicholson, PhD, author and Emeritus Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School, to talk about unique individuality, which is the focus of his new book, Unique You: How Individuality Works and Why It Matters. Although Nigel’s esteemed career as a business psychologist has focused on things like the application of evolutionary theory in business and management, educational innovation, and coaching political and business leaders, the topic of individual differences has fascinated him for much of his life, making him the perfect guest for this topic.Click here to buy Unique You: How Individuality Works and Why It Matters

February 10, 2026Episode 1431 hr 16 min

The History and Psychology of Underdogs

In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake are joined by Peter Harms, PhD, a Frank Schultz Professor of Management at the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Business, to talk about the history and psychology of underdogs. World history is littered with stories and legends of people or groups of people who have defied the odds in the face of almost sure defeat, making them the closest thing to immortal a human being can fathom outside of religion and deities. But how do they accomplish these incredible feats? How do they find a way to make the impossible possible? Peter and Ryne have been interested in the topic of underdogs for quite some time, and they unpack their thoughts and theories in this episode.