In this episode Victoria continues the exploration of leadership through the lens of the High Potential Trait Indicator (HPTI), building on the foundation laid in Part One.

The conversation focuses on three critical leadership traits: Risk Approach, Ambiguity Acceptance, and Competitiveness — how they show up in individuals, teams, and organizations, and what happens when these strengths are overplayed. Through real-world examples, candid self-reflection, and DISC personality parallels, Victoria and Heather unpack how leaders navigate uncertainty, make decisions, manage conflict, and balance ambition with collaboration.

The episode also introduces the concept of leadership derailers — the ways our greatest strengths can turn into liabilities when taken too far. By walking through common derailment patterns like perfectionism, aloofness, excessive caution, and passive resistance, listeners are invited into a practical and compassionate discussion about self-awareness and growth.

This episode reinforces that leadership isn’t about perfection or titles — it’s about learning how to adapt, evolve, and lead effectively in everyday moments, both professionally and personally.

00:00 – Facilitating opposing viewpoints: why more than one thing can be true

00:00:32 – Welcome to Discovering You: Where Personality Meets Possibility

00:01:00 – Mood check-in and DISC color conversation

00:02:15 – Personal context and emotional awareness in leadership

00:03:00 – DISC explained through a football analogy

00:03:30 – Recap of HPTI and leadership traits from Part One

00:04:00 – Trait #4: Risk Approach explained

00:04:30 – High vs. low risk approach and DISC connections

00:05:00 – Why risk approach matters in leadership

00:05:30 – When high risk becomes a liability

00:06:00 – How risk approach shows up in teams and groups

00:07:00 – Personal reflections on risk tolerance and decision-making

00:08:30 – Trait #5: Ambiguity Acceptance defined

00:09:00 – Organizational culture and ambiguity tolerance

00:09:30 – Leadership performance under uncertainty

00:10:00 – The dangers of excessive ambiguity acceptance

00:10:45 – Real-world facilitation examples and collaboration

00:12:00 – Overplaying strengths and adaptability in business

00:13:30 – Trait #6: Competitiveness explained

00:14:15 – Healthy vs. unhealthy competitiveness in leadership

00:15:00 – Individual and team dynamics around competition

00:16:00 – Competing with others vs. competing with yourself

00:18:45 – When competitiveness influences participation and motivation

00:19:00 – Leadership derailment: when strengths become risks

00:19:30 – Overview of the 10 common leadership derailers

00:21:00 – Self-reflection: identifying personal derailment patterns

00:22:30 – Perfectionism, excessive caution, and leadership awareness

00:23:00 – Growth, coaching, and leadership beyond titles

00:24:00 – Closing thoughts and how to learn more

If you're interested in learning more about team building, coaching, strategic hiring and onboarding, let's connect!

discoverwhatworks@gmail.com

Are great leaders born—or developed?

In this episode, we explore the concept of High Potential and what truly drives leadership effectiveness beyond skills, titles, or experience. Using research-backed insights from the High Potential Trait Indicator (HPTI), this conversation breaks down how personality traits influence leadership capacity—and how those traits can be developed over time.

You’ll learn the difference between behavioral models (like DISC) and personality traits, how leadership potential is defined, and why most people have far more growth capacity than they realize.

We dive into the first three of six High Potential traits and examine how they show up in leaders, individuals, and teams:

• Conscientiousness – the strongest predictor of leadership success, tied to discipline, organization, and goal focus
• Adjustment – emotional resilience under stress and pressure
• Curiosity – openness to learning, innovation, and new ways of thinking

You’ll also hear sample assessment questions, real-world reflections, and a discussion on why too much of a good trait can become a challenge.

This episode sets the foundation for understanding leadership as something that can be intentionally shaped—not something you either have or don’t.

Next episode: We’ll continue with the remaining three High Potential traits and explore deeper leadership insights.

In This Episode:

• What “high potential” really means in leadership
• Personality traits vs. behavioural styles
• The six traits used to assess leadership potential
• Why conscientiousness matters more than talent alone
• How stress resilience impacts performance
• The role curiosity plays in growth and adaptability
• Why balance—not extremes—creates strong leaders and teams

If you’re interested in learning more about the High Potential Trait Indicator for leadership development, hiring, or coaching, reach out to learn more.

Let's Connect

discoverwhatworks@gmail.com

https://pod.link/1614071253

https://discoverwhatworks.org/

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaDISC

https://www.instagram.com/discoverwhatworks/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/discoverwhatworks

#HighPotential #LeadershipDevelopment #Personality #DISC #TeamDynamics #ProfessionalGrowth

Mentioned in this episode:

Fast Facts

How to work with Victoria Theriault and DISCover What Works

As we close out 2025, we’re taking a warm, festive look back at the conversations, insights, and unforgettable moments that shaped this year on DISCovering You: Where Personality Meets Possibility. From deep dives into charisma and creativity to surprising reflections on emojis and empathy, this episode rounds up the clips that made us pause, laugh, reflect and grow.

Did we include your favourite episode or moment from 2025? Share your thoughts in the comments—we’d love to hear what resonated most with you this year.

Timestamps

00:00 — Opening + DISC as Holiday Drinks

01:00 — How are you feeling? Check in

02:00 — Heather’s favourite moments and lessons from 2025

02:30 — Clip 1: How nonverbal cues shape first impressions

04:45 — Managing “resting bored face” in real-life and Zoom meetings

07:00 — Clip 2: Empathy, discipline, and how others interpret our intent

09:15 — Heather reflects on responsibility vs. emotional perception

10:00 — Clip 3: Dr. Zorana Pringle on psychological safety and creativity

12:30 — How differing perspectives help Heather & Victoria grow

14:45 — Clip 4: The great emoji debate (and what it reveals)

17:45 — Clip 5: Emotional intelligence + Sandy Pentland’s MIT research

22:30 — Final reflections + holiday wishes for 2026

Resources Mentioned

• Vanessa Van Edwards – Research on charisma, warmth, competence, and nonverbal cues
• Dr. Zorana Pringle – Conversation on creativity and psychological safety
• Sandy Pentland, MIT – Research on team communication patterns and high performance
• Dr. Vanessa Druskat – Discussion on emotional intelligence and paralanguage

Thank you for an inspiring year of discovery, connection, and meaningful conversations. Wishing you a warm, restful holiday season—and we can’t wait to bring you more insights, guests, and laughter in 2026.

If you're interested in learning more about team building, coaching, strategic hiring and onboarding, let's connect!

discoverwhatworks@gmail.com

https://pod.link/1614071253

https://discoverwhatworks.org/

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaDISC

https://www.instagram.com/discoverwhatworks/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/discoverwhatworks

Mentioned in this episode:

How to work with Victoria Theriault and DISCover What Works

Fast Facts