For 87% of the people assessed, our personality assessment flagged a risk of aggressive communication. 90.9% of those with above-average assertiveness received a warning about how they treat others.
“He’s tough, but he gets results.” How much aggression are we willing to excuse in companies with this single sentence?
He makes decisions, handles pressure and drives change. Exactly the kind of leader companies are looking for. Yet admiration for his forcefulness sometimes obscures what happens when someone challenges him. Does he listen respectfully to an objection? Or does he put the person down?
**Aggressive communication often hides behind words such as high standards, directness or performance orientation. **There need not be any shouting or fireworks. Sometimes, a calm remark is enough to humiliate someone: “Once you understand the subject, you can express an opinion.”
I have encountered this phenomenon in recruitment for years. Where does healthy assertiveness end and coercion begin? This year’s psychometric assessment data from FENIX SEARCH, covering January to October 2026, gave me a clear reason to start talking about it openly.
📊** WHAT DID THE DATA FROM OUR PRACTICE REVEAL?**
We evaluated 18 communication style questionnaires completed by managers, business owners and candidates between January and October 2026. We excluded three reports because of high impression management (an effort to present oneself more favourably, which undermines reliability).
The remaining 15 people yielded the following figures:
| Indicator | Number of people | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| At least one area flagged for a risk of aggression | 13 out of 15 | 86.7% |
| Area-specific warnings (even when overall aggression was below the risk threshold) | 8 out of 15 | 53.3% |
| Warnings in 2 or 3 areas simultaneously | 6 out of 15 | 40.0% |
| Overall aggression risk threshold exceeded | 5 out of 15 | 33.3% |
Does this mean we identified 13 aggressors? No. But it does give us 13 reasons to ask follow-up questions during an interview.
⚔️**THE MOST COMMON STUMBLING BLOCK: ASSERTING ONESELF **
Looking at the individual areas of communication, we see a clear pattern:
- Asserting oneself: 10 people (66.7%) (55.6% of the full sample of 18 people)
- Giving and receiving feedback: 6 people (40.0%)
- Standing one’s ground and responding to pressure: 3 people (20.0%)
- Listening and building relationships: 2 people (13.3%)
The key question is: Can this person get a requirement across without backing someone into a corner, putting them down or disregarding them?
🙋** ASSERTIVENESS IS NOT THE ABILITY TO STEAMROLL THE ROOM**
True assertiveness means clearly stating what I need, rejecting what is unacceptable and maintaining boundaries while respecting the other person.
The assessment examines asserting one’s interests, resisting pressure, handling feedback and building relationships. The results revealed a crucial finding:
90.9% of people with above-average or well-above-average assertiveness had at least one area-specific warning about a risk of aggression.
High assertiveness on paper does not rule out a risk of aggression. A convincing candidate requires a thorough examination of how they respond when others do not accommodate their wishes.
Where does aggression come from?
- Communication psychology: A person may interpret disagreement as an attack on their competence and respond with a counterattack.
- Organisational psychology: If anyone who hits their targets gets away with humiliating others, the company effectively tolerates it.
- Jungian analytical psychology: It explains that what irritates us most in others is what we suppress or forbid in ourselves (e.g. weakness, mistakes or uncertainty). Excessive aggression can then serve as a defence of one’s ego. (This is a psychological framework for reflection, not a direct conclusion drawn from the questionnaires.)
Understanding the cause does not absolve anyone of responsibility for their behaviour.
💬** SEND THE BOSS TO TRAINING TOO**
Assertive communication training could be a mandatory foundation for everyone who manages people, as well as employees. BUT instead of theory, it is essential to practise real workplace situations, such as:
- A repeated mistake and a missed deadline
- Criticism directed from an employee to their boss
- Refusing an unrealistic assignment
If everyone returns to their old habits after training without any consequences being established, it was simply a waste of time.
🧭** HOW CAN YOU START MAKING A CHANGE TODAY?**
1. When recruiting leaders: Use BEI (Behavioral Event Interview) – instead of general statements, explore specific past behaviours and ask:
- Accepting opposition: “When did an employee last tell you that you were wrong? What exactly happened next, and how did you react?”
- Hidden aggression under pressure: “Describe a situation where an employee repeatedly failed to provide the required information. What words did you use in private, and how did you respond in front of the team?”
- Self-reflection: “Can you recall a time when you reacted too harshly? How did you recognise that you had crossed a line, and how did you address it?”
- Managing the ego: “What do you do when an employee comes up with a solution you dislike, but it works? Do you steamroll them or back down?”
Recruitment tips:
- Watch for subtle behaviours: Notice disparaging remarks about former colleagues (“those people weren’t up to the job”).
- Do not confuse persuasiveness with assertiveness: Rhetorical dominance during an interview often masks low frustration tolerance.
- Validate references from a 360° perspective: Seek feedback from former direct reports too.
2. Within the company: Hold a mirror up to the culture
Ask these key questions within the management team:
- How much aggression do we still call leadership?
- Do we accept toxic behaviour from managers in exchange for meeting financial targets?
- Do employees have the psychological safety to express disagreement without repercussions?
Tips for improving the workplace environment:
- Define boundaries: Performance must not take precedence over how it was achieved.
- Use assessments: Apply them regularly in development and talent management.
- Lead by example: If leaders put people down in meetings, that pattern will spread throughout the company.
The way we speak to one another directly determines what we can achieve together.
📈** HOW DO WE APPROACH PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT AT FENIX SEARCH?**
We use assessments to evaluate personality characteristics, motivation, coping with pressure, cultural fit, sales potential and management style, among many other areas. We connect the findings with the interview and the company’s brief to understand how a candidate thinks, leads people and where their potential risks lie.
*Methodological note: These are practical findings from a small sample of self-report questionnaires used in FENIX SEARCH’s work between January and October 2026, not a representative study. *
