UNCERTAINTY IS THE “NEW NORMAL” – WHAT MIGHT ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP DO?

Uncertainty is the "new normal" 

Delivering the opening, Mr. Nguyễn Vũ Duy Tuấn, Solution Expert of Talent Assessments Vietnam, guided attendees through a comprehensive overview of the global and Vietnamese markets, highlighting the “macro shocks” that are driving continuous waves of disruption. According to the WEF report, the global market will be shaped and transformed by technological advancements, geopolitical fragmentation, and economic instability. Report by McKinsey, 84% of global leaders feel unprepared for major disruptions or sudden price spikes in the future, while 60% of board members are concerned that their businesses are not adequately prepared for potential crises. 

This context also applies to Vietnam. The three main risks facing domestic businesses include tariff pressures, supply chain disruptions, and instability in foreign investment capital flows. He believes that in this “era of uncertainty,” the Leadership ability of Strategy management and Talent management has become critical for survival. 

Leadership in Times of Uncertainty – Science based HR Solution  

Following the opening remarks, Ms. Krista Pederson, Managing Director for the Asia-Pacific region at Hogan Assessments, with her global experience and deep expertise in HR assessment and measurement provided a scientific, practical, and global perspective on how businesses can enhance leadership capabilities and align human strategies amid today’s uncertainties: “In unpredictable times, what truly makes the difference between a sustain organization and one that fails?” 

She shared that this difference does not lie in scale or budget but in leadership capacity and how organizations define and measure this critical factor. 

According to Ms. Krista, effective leaders are those who build and sustain high-performing teams, and this cannot be assessed through personal intuition or resumes stand alone but must be measured scientifically through personality data. 

The Hogan Personality Assessments: A Global Standard 

Krista introduced the comprehensive Hogan Assessments—HPI, HDS, and MVPI—which have been used in 11+ million assessments across 180 countries, helping companies scientifically measure and develop leadership potential: 

•      HPI – The Bright Side: Measures day-to-day strengths and tendencies when a person is at their best. 
•      HDS – The Dark Side: Reveals overused strengths or derailers that can emerge under pressure. 
•      MVPI – The Inside: Explores core values, drivers, and motivations, indicating the type of culture a person will create. 

Ms. Krista Pederson added that "Everyone has strengths, but the real question is do those strengths align with your business strategy?" 

Aligning Business Strategy with Leadership Traits: The Key to Organizational Effectiveness 

The core of the session, led by Ms. Krista Pederson, focused on the concept of “Strategic Alignment” – the synchronization of business strategy with leadership traits. She illustrated this with three common business strategies: 

•      Innovation-Focused Strategy: requires leaders who are open, risk-tolerant, and inclined toward breakthrough thinking. 
•      Operational Excellence Strategy: suits disciplined, practical leaders who prioritize efficiency and processes. 
•      Customer-Centric Strategy: Needs empathetic leaders with strong communication skills and a focus on building lasting relationships. 

She highlighted examples of misalignment between strategy and people – such as when an organization pursues innovation but appoints overly conservative, compliance-driven leaders, resulting in “innovation being stifled in its infancy.” Through specific case studies, she demonstrated the consequences of such misalignment: 

A company aiming for innovation but led by operationally controlling leaders, suppressing creativity. 

A cost-saving-focused business with risk-prone leaders, leading to resource wastage. 

To help businesses translate data into action, she proposed a five-step roadmap to align leadership traits with strategic direction: 

•       Identify key leadership traits critical to supporting the business strategy. 
•       Conduct personality assessments to determine leadership characteristics. 
•       Develop tailored leadership programs to cultivate necessary behaviors. 
•       Integrate personality analytics into leadership selection processes to ensure strategic fit. 
•       Continuously review and improve (Kaizen philosophy). 

Toward the end of her insightful sharing, Ms. Krista Pederson shared a specific example comparing two leadership candidates using detailed personality data from Hogan. Both scored high in Ambition and Inquisitiveness but differed significantly in other traits: 

•        Candidate 1: Extroverted, risk-taking, witty, and assertive – but low in conscientiousness and attention to detail. 
•        Candidate 2: Calm, conscientious, supportive, and cautious – but lacking boldness and leaning toward safe solutions. 

Based on a visual analysis, Hogan provided clear recommendations that There is no “perfect” candidate in an absolute sense – only candidates suited to the organization’s strategy, depending on whether it prioritizes innovation, operational stability, or customer engagement. 

This is the core distinction in Hogan’s assessment philosophy: Leadership selection is no longer based on intuition but on measurable strategic compatibility.  

Assessing People – Aligning Strategy – Overcoming Uncertainty  

Ms. Krista Pederson concluded her presentation with a call to Vietnam’s HR community to shift from intuition to analytics, from experience to evidence, thereby guiding organizations through uncertainty with confidence and clear direction. 

The seminar “Aligning Your Company Strategy with Talent Strategy in the Uncertain and Challenging Time ” did not merely provide updates on global shifts but also delivered to Vietnam’s HR and leadership community a clear, scientific, and actionable strategic framework – one where human personality becomes the focal point in selecting and developing leaders, managing organizations, and shaping the future. 

In an era where uncertainty is inevitable, understanding people scientifically and objectively is the most sustainable competitive advantage for any organization. With Hogan Assessments – a global pioneer in science – based personality assessment – and Talent Assessments Vietnam – Hogan’s official authorized distributor in Vietnam – a gateway is being opened for Vietnamese businesses to access world-class HR assessment systems. This is a world where personality data not only reveals who people are but also helps organizations understand who will lead them forward – and how.