When Strengths Become Strain: Coaching IT Leaders Beyond Derailers

In my work with IT professionals and technical leaders (and for that matter coaching clients regardless of profession), I always encounter a fascinating mix of performance strengths and risks. The kind of personality pattern that’s perfectly suited to deep problem-solving, but which can quietly erode influence, team cohesion, and upward mobility if left unexamined.

For you as a people leader / manager understanding these patterns is the first step to unlocking their leadership potential.

The Personality Profile

When viewed through the lens of the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality, it is not uncommon mid-to-senior IT professionals tending to show the following traits (N.B. this is just a summary of a pattern I’ve noticed with a small sample of IT professionals and is therefore not indicative of the population of IT professionals in Australia):

• High Openness to Experience: At the high end these people are curious, creative, open-minded, imaginative, with a broad range of interests. They’ll typically value formal education, may seem insightful, stays up-to-date, and likely to push for training and development opportunities These are excellent qualities in a field that demands innovation and adaptability.
• Low Extraversion: More reserved and introspective; comfortable with working independently over social interaction. Will likely be quite task-focused and may tend to be more reserved, quiet, shy. May appear unapproachable because they’re focused on the task and may need to work at networking and strategic socialising
• Low Agreeableness: Pragmatic and independent; not easily swayed by groupthink or emotion. Task-oriented, willing to be blunt, but potentially good at confront poor performance relatively easily.
• Low Neuroticism: Generally balanced, emotionally stable, calm under stress or pressure, willing to learn from mistakes but in some cases may appear detached.
• Moderate Conscientiousness: Structured enough to deliver but not always fixated on detail, process, procedure, protocol or perfectionism.

This combination contributes to technical mastery, systemic thinking, and autonomous drive. Strengths that are crucial in complex environments where precision and innovation matter.

But strengths don’t tell the whole story.

The Dark Side: Moving Away When It Matters Most

We all have a so called ‘dark side’! When things go wrong — under stress, in ambiguity, or when relationships become strained certain personality traits can shift from productive to problematic because if they persist there always a risk that relationships will strained to the extent that the individuals role is at risk in the worst case scenario, In many IT professionals, this shows up in what Hogan calls the “Moving Away” derailers:

• Excitable – All about working with passion and enthusiasm, but also being easily frustrated, moody, irritable, and inclined to give up on projects and people. Behaviour observed through this lens might look like initial enthusiasm giving way to frustration or disengagement when expectations aren’t met.
• Sceptical – As the names suggests when one is sceptical they be alert for signs of deceptive behaviour in others and acting when it is detected. Behaviour observed through this lens might look like healthy critical thinking may morph into mistrust or resistance to feedback.
• Cautious – risk aversion, fear of failure, and avoiding criticism manifesting as risk aversion that can slow decision-making and block innovation.
• Reserved – Concerned with seeming tough, aloof, remote, and unconcerned with the feelings of others. Preference for solitude can lead to perceived aloofness or lack of visibility.
• Leisurely – Leisurely behaviour manifests as someone who is friendly and cooperative, but following one’s own agenda and quietly, but stubbornly, resisting those of others. So, there is surface-level agreeableness hides resistance or passive defiance of direction.

When these tendencies are high, leaders may unintentionally withdraw, shut down collaboration, or become difficult to align with, especially in roles that require stakeholder influence, agile leadership, or cross-functional collaboration.

Coaching Approach: From Isolation to Influence

Coaching IT professionals requires an approach that respects their analytical mindset while inviting them into greater relational agility and influence. Here’s how I typically work and how you as an IT professional with a team might consider integrating with your leadership approach:

Leverage Strengths

• Tap into their high openness to explore new ways of leading and thinking.
• Align their strategic curiosity with broader business value, helping your direct report see themselves not just as problem solvers, but enterprise enablers.
• Use their emotional stability and pragmatism to create calm, consistent leadership presence.

Work with Derailers

• Excitable: Build emotional regulation and reset expectations. Help leaders see patterns between idealism and burnout.
• Sceptical: Shift from defensive reactivity to constructive challenge. Reframe feedback as data, not personal critique.
• Cautious: Increase tolerance for ambiguity. Use structured risk analysis to support decision-making in uncertainty.
• Reserved: Strengthen communication presence and active visibility, particularly with executives and peers.
• Leisurely: Surface passive resistance and reconnect behaviour with intention and values.

Finally……

Many IT professionals don’t need to become extroverts or smooth-talking politicians, but they do need to evolve. Moving from technical expert to enabler, from individual contributor to collaborative leader, and from delivery-focused to strategically impactful is essential in today’s landscape. This shift enables better decision-making, boosts employee engagement, fosters innovation, and ensures the effective execution of strategy, all critical for sustainable business performance and growth. Coaching, especially when grounded in robust personality insights, provides a powerful pathway to support that evolution.