France, the seventh largest economy in the world, exerts a major influence in luxury, aeronautics, energy, finance and is accelerating in tech and sustainability. Its leadership culture is distinguished by strategic thinking, analytical rigor and centralized management, often nourished by elite institutions and a strong valuation of expertise. In this context of global competition and renewed social expectations, leadership remains the critical lever for the transformation of organizations.
According to Hogan Assessments, the analysis of a benchmark of more than 2,000 senior managers in France highlights the characteristics that structure the promotion and recognition at the top of French companies, as well as possible blind spots. To deepen the cultural reading, a local expert contribution was made by Chloë Touati, founder of Authentic Talent Consulting, authorized distributor of Hogan Assessments in France.
The Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI) measures the values, drivers, and preferences that guide what people want, prioritize, and look for at work. The French profile focuses on imagination, originality and human connection, more than on predictability or profit.
Highest engine in the French profile : Aesthetic, +14 points higher than the global executive benchmark. This score reflects the desire for expression, creativity and a keen sense of style, aligned with French cultural roots around art, design and innovation. These leaders value beauty, spontaneity, experimentation and freedom in the ideas proposed. In a management position, they tend to create environments that are visually neat, open to new perspectives and conducive to creative problem-solving—especially in sectors where originality is a key success factor.
Second highest value : Affiliation, +7 points compared to the global benchmark. Affiliation highlights the importance of collaboration, community, and interpersonal relationships. Leaders with a strong Affiliation aim for social cohesion and a sense of belonging. Their style is relational, with regular dialogue, inclusiveness and attention to team dynamics.
Conversely, the Security scale comes out —11 points compared to the global average. Lower scores on this scale indicate ease with change and a poor search for structure or long-term guarantees. These leaders are more likely to take calculated risks, embrace innovation, and challenge the status quo, especially if the issue is creative or strategic.
Two other MVPI scales that are lower than the reference mean: Commerce (—16) and Altruism (—11). The lower Trade scale indicates less interest in financial indicators, sales goals, or personal gain; monetary motivation weighs less heavily on the decision. Low Altruism may reflect a preference for autonomy, accountability, and independence from others over direct caring behaviors.
A tension runs through the French landscape between regulation and the desire for freedom. While the state structure is strong, many resist being locked in by the rule. The combination of High Aesthetics and Low Security highlights motivations for uniqueness and creativity, sometimes at the expense of consistency or efficiency.
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Upon arrival in a company, each leader often brings their own vision and aesthetics—powerful but potentially disruptive if everyone wants to leave a unique footprint. Security and compliance can be valued at the national level or in the public sphere, but are less central in business, where agility and innovation take precedence. The result is a leadership culture that prioritizes aesthetics, individuality, and “intellectualism” over process and order.
On the coaching side, the effort focuses on impact awareness, coherence and follow-up. The word discipline is unpopular; framing development through impact and team well-being works better. French culture places a strong emphasis on the collective: connection, collaboration, belonging. However, while leaders want inspired and cohesive teams, they sometimes struggle to anchor corresponding practices on a daily basis (constructive feedback, avoid micromanagement, etc.).
Finally, although Affiliation is high, the Altruism scale is still lower. Chloë notes that some actions aimed at protecting the social climate or avoiding conflict (e.g. with unions) are often more of a strategy than a compassionate impulse. And profit remains a sensitive subject in established businesses: we talk about it, but in a veiled way.
“We are like a bunch of kids playing in the rain. We don't want to go back! ”
— an HR director to Chloë Touati, illustrating a strong aesthetic, creativity and collective taste, which without maturity or attention to detail can drift towards rebellion and immaturity.
The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) describes how individuals behave at their best, illuminating leadership style, work habits, and ways of achieving goals. The French profile is in line with global trends, with a notable difference: lower Prudence (—11 points).
This lower Prudence evokes flexible and agile leadership. Less committed to rules, policies, and procedures, these leaders thrive in fast-paced, evolving environments that are capable of pivoting and experimenting. Coupled with the low security of the MVPI, we observe an ease in ambiguity, an openness to trial/error and the desire to question existing structures—a breeding ground that nourishes creativity and originality.
The moderate scores in Ambition and Learning Type reflect balanced motivation and a constant appetite for learning. Without being overtly competitive or imposing, these leaders are assertive, goal-oriented, and inquisitive — often beyond their field. This curiosity fuels High Aesthetics: watch out for design trends, technologies, organizational innovations, to stay ahead culturally and strategically.
According to Chloë, education is deeply respected; leaders and collaborators are encouraged to stay informed andand open to the world. Ambition is put at the service of strong ideas rather than a checklist of objectives. With High Affiliation and Moderate Ambition, the style favors dialogue, consensus, inclusion, and relationship preservation.
Chloë Touati also observes thatLeaders avoid micromanagement, focusing on flexibility and trust in execution, with minimal control. The downside: a gap can widen between innovation and implementation—strong ideas that don't succeed due to lack of planning or follow-up. Rules apply when they make sense, and it can take a long time to debate logic and alignment.
In addition, there is a high cultural expectation of perfection: Appearance counts, as does intellectual credibility. Leaders who are often highly educated and strategic, but sometimes detached from execution. The teams perceive them as inspiring and visionary, while feeling the pressure of the perfect result without enough support on the “how”. Vulnerability remains undervalued; we seek harmony while avoiding exposing doubt or fragility.
The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) assesses overused forces that, under pressure, boredom, or stress, become counterproductive and can derail a career.
Among French leaders, the most salient derailleur is Malicious, +13 points vs the global benchmark. Mischievous leaders are daring, charming, risk takers. They test boundaries, defy authority, and willingly operate at the margin—especially when novelty is lacking. In small doses, it is stimulating; without safeguards, it leads to impulsive reactions or decisions, rule violations and an underestimation of the consequences.
A striking example in France: as a sign of frustration with new regulations, farmers dumped manure in front of a government building in Toulouse. This gesture illustrates the Mischievous impulse: testing the limits, shaking up the rule, favoring daring action over silent compliance. In cultures motivated by creativity and originality, this can propel change but also expose reputation and strain stakeholder relationships.
Chloë notes that within many French organizations, perceived success is often linked to the ability to circumvent the rules rather than to apply them. Cultural preference goes to the boundary test and to “it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission” (It is better to ask for forgiveness than for permission). Those who adhere strictly to processes are less often seen as influential. This double norm is in particular destabilizing middle management, which is required to apply the rules that the summit does not always respect in order to “make progress”.
At the other extreme, Demanding is the lowest (—10 points vs the overall reference average). Undemanding leaders are relaxed, accessible, less focused on perfection or rigid standards. They delegate easily, keep a wide angle of analysis, and stay focused under pressure. Strength in a context of change, but combined with low Prudence, it can generate lack of structure, inconsistency, or missed details.
Chloë Touati describes a paradox: local cultures value autonomy, resistance to rules, and the overcoming of borders—traits in tension with diligence and micro-management. At the beginning of a career, precision is rewarded; but at the top, excessive implementation becomes a disadvantage. High potentials selected for their reliability can be excluded from executive roles if they do not switch to strategic influence and letting go.
In summary, risk-taking and moderate attention to detail are double-edged: they boost innovation and charisma, but can exhaust teams (overload, lack of execution) and blur “how to achieve goals.” Managing these derailors is key to transforming creativity and agility into lasting impact.
French leaders conduct their missions with creativity, flexibility and a sense of connection. Driven by Aesthetics (originality) and Affiliation (relationships), they give less importance to rules, structure or financial rewards. With a curious type of learning, measured Ambition, and lower Prudence, they embrace change and easily explore new ideas.
The downside: high Mischievous derailleur (test of limits under stress) and lower Care/Demanding (risk of missing details and structural resistance). At their best, they're imaginative, people-centered, and iconoclastic—ideally suited to dynamic, fast-changing environments.
According to Chloë Touati's experiences, an emerging model is progressing: promoting leaders who dare (take risks, innovate, question norms) and care (strengthen Affiliation, connection, well-being). For a long time, boldness was valued; now, the culture of Care is gaining ground under the effect of talent expectations and growing social activism. Tomorrow's successful leaders will balance innovation with a genuine concern for people.
Personality assessment provides senior management and HR managers with a strategic compass for skills development, coaching, obstacle management and team transformation.
The French profile, aesthetic and agile, has everything to innovate and unite; its full power is revealed when the requirement for execution and the concern of people balance risk taking and the quest for originality.
For organizations that aim for sustainable performance, anchoring these levers in HR strategy, assessment, and organizational culture is a high-return investment—in the service of leadership potential, commitment, and long-term success.
Within Authentic Talent, every day, we support our clients, in France and abroad, in their strategic decision-making around Talents, in selection, to develop their potential, to create succession plans. You are interested in the subject and want to talk to you about it: it is hither !
The original article by Hogan Assessments and Chloë Touati (in English): linkage
