CHAPTER 10

Leading with Grit and Assertiveness

DERAILMENT

When we think of derailment, many envision someone’s career rising to great heights and then crashing and burning—a trajectory true for some Left-Siders. This is not often the case for Right-Siders, however. Rather, their careers tend to plateau or peter out. Robert Hogan cites excessive caution, indecisiveness, reserve, and passivity as common derailers, and these behaviors are characteristic of the deferential leader.1 These are deficits of passivity and reactivity—behaviors that impede and interfere with high performance. This is why Right-Siders do not as often end up in senior leadership roles, and when they do, these behavior patterns hold them back.

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