Is your talent pipeline too agreeable?

Agreeableness, one of the Big Five personality traits, is characterised by attributes such as kindness, empathy, and a cooperative nature. For new graduates entering the workplace, agreeableness is often seen as a highly valuable trait. However, as one gains experience and climbs the career ladder, this trait can hold back career advancement. Unless your organisation is systematically developing talent in the right way, the implication is limited innovation, groupthink and the costly need to hire senior colleagues externally.

Why your talent pipeline will value agreeableness at entry / junior levels

1. Building relationships:

• Agreeable individuals are usually skilled at creating and maintaining positive relationships with colleagues, which is crucial for integration into new teams and workplace cultures.
• Their cooperative nature makes them likable and trustworthy, essential for team-based projects and collaborative tasks.

2. Conflict avoidance:

• Agreeable employees tend to avoid conflicts and promote a harmonious work environment, which is beneficial for maintaining workplace morale and productivity.
• This trait is especially valued in customer-facing roles where diplomacy and a pleasant demeanor can enhance client satisfaction and loyalty.

3. Willingness to help:

• Agreeable individuals are often willing to go the extra mile to help others, which can lead to early recognition and opportunities for advancement .

Risks for agreeable talent arising at mid-level

1. Assertiveness deficit:

• As one moves up the career ladder, the ability to assert oneself becomes increasingly important. Agreeable individuals may struggle with asserting their ideas or pushing back against unreasonable demands, potentially leading to missed opportunities for leadership roles.
• Decision-making roles require a balance of empathy and assertiveness to lead effectively and make tough decisions.

2. Risk of exploitation:

• Highly agreeable employees might be perceived as easy targets for additional work or less favorable tasks, which can lead to burnout and a lack of focus on strategic career development.
• Their reluctance to say no can result in an overextension of responsibilities, detracting from performance in their primary role.

3. Leadership perception:

• Leadership roles often require the ability to manage conflicts, drive results, and make unpopular decisions. Excessive agreeableness can be misconstrued as a lack of decisiveness or strength, qualities that are crucial for effective leadership.
• Leaders must sometimes prioritise organisational goals over individual relationships, which can be challenging for those with high agreeableness.

Implications of an agreeable talent pipeline

While agreeableness fosters a collaborative and harmonious work environment, excessive agreeableness at the junior level can present several challenges to an organisation's long-term success.

1. Lack of innovation and critical thinking:

• An overly agreeable workforce may be less likely to challenge the status quo or present innovative ideas. This can stifle creativity and hinder the organisation’s ability to adapt to changing market conditions.
• Agreeable employees might avoid constructive criticism or difficult conversations, leading to a lack of diverse perspectives and robust decision-making processes.

2. Risk of groupthink:

• Excessive agreeableness can lead to groupthink, where the desire for harmony and conformity results in poor decision-making. Critical issues may go unaddressed, and suboptimal solutions may be implemented because team members are reluctant to voice dissenting opinions.
• Groupthink can prevent the identification and mitigation of potential risks, leading to strategic missteps.

3. Inefficiency in problem-solving:

• Junior employees who are too agreeable might prioritise maintaining good relationships over addressing issues promptly and effectively. This can result in delays and inefficiencies in problem-solving and project execution .
• The tendency to avoid confrontation can mean that problems are not resolved quickly, potentially escalating issues that could have been managed proactively.

4. Command and control culture:

• Employees who do not learn to assert themselves may struggle to develop the leadership skills necessary for higher-level positions. This can impact succession planning and the organisation’s ability to cultivate future leaders from within. The organisation will be led in a top-down fashion with a maintenance of the existing culture into the future.
• Without opportunities to practice assertiveness and decision-making, these employees may not be prepared for the demands of leadership roles.

5. Exhaustion:

• Highly agreeable employees may be less likely to refuse additional tasks from seniors or speak up against unfair treatment. Without filtering requests from above, the teams of agreeable leaders can be subject to overwork and the inability to prioritise. This can lead to burnout and decreased morale over time.
• An overburdened workforce can result in decreased productivity and increased turnover, negating the initial benefits of agreeableness.

Targeted development of your talent pipeline

To mitigate the risks of being hampered by an overly agreeable talent pipeline, organisations can target talent development as well as more systemic interventions.

1. Individual development:

• Talent can work on developing assertiveness skills while maintaining their cooperative nature. This can involve assertiveness training or mentorship programs to learn how to balance empathy with decisiveness.
• By learning to set clear boundaries and prioritise tasks can help agreeable individuals manage their workload more effectively and avoid burnout. Helping agreeable individuals consider those they may be negatively impacting by saying 'yes' to additional tasks can at times be helpful.
• Leveraging their strong interpersonal skills to build strategic relationships can help agreeable employees gain the support and mentorship needed to advance to higher-level roles.

2. Systemic improvements:

• Your organisation may unintentionally harbour an over-abundance of agreeable talent at junior levels through your talent processes. Promotion processes that are slow to create opportunities for junior talent will result in your more disagreeable talent departing for pastures new. Performance processes that are overly dependent on a small sample of senior colleague feedback (e.g. performance ratings being assigned by managers) may also prevent those with a challenger profile being elevated through the organisation. By addressing systemic issues such as these, the opportunities associated with a better flowing and more balanced talent pipeline can be realised.