What makes some athletes perform better than others when the pressure is high?
A Hogan study with a national sports team gives us a concrete answer: personality matters.
Date: 17. June 2026
Categories: selection, Performance
As we look ahead to the FIFA World Cup 2026, most conversations will focus on tactics, physical preparation, star players, and team strategy. But one important question often stays in the background: What makes some athletes perform better than others when the pressure is high?
A Hogan study with a national sports team gives us a concrete answer: personality matters. In this study, 106 professional athletes completed the Hogan assessments: the Hogan Personality Inventory, the Hogan Development Survey, and the Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory. Out of these athletes, 77 were also rated by their coaches on performance. Hogan then looked at which personality characteristics were linked to higher performance.
What was found?
Higher-rated athletes tended to show:
- Competitive, driven, and goal-oriented (Ambition)
- Dependable and detail oriented (Prudence)
- Focused and less distractible (Sociability)
- Curious and strategic (Inquisitive)
- Cooperative and willing to play by the team’s agenda (Leisurely)
- Socially skilled and outgoing (Colorful)
- Willing to stick to the coach’s guidance (Dutiful)
- Disciplined and rule following (Mischievous)
- Conscious of form and style (Aesthetic)
- Driven to win (Power)
This is interesting because these are not only “sport qualities.” They are also qualities organizations need every day.
One of the most striking findings was this: among athletes with a low fit on the Hogan profile, 56% were bottom performers. Among athletes with a high fit, 88% were middle or top performers, and only 12% were bottom performers.
In football, we often admire technical skills: speed, precision, creativity, and physical strength. But when we watch the World Cup, we also see something else. We see players who stay calm under pressure. We see those who follow the coach’s strategy even when the game becomes emotional. We see teams that keep discipline after a setback. We see leaders who bring energy, focus, and confidence to the group.
This is where sport and organizations meet.
Companies also need people who can perform under pressure. They need leaders who are ambitious but still team-oriented. They need employees who are strategic but also disciplined. They need people who can represent the organization well, not only in front of clients but also internally, in moments of stress and change.
For organizations, this means that personality assessment can support better decisions in selection, leadership development, succession planning, and team development. Just as a coach wants to understand the full potential of an athlete, organizations should understand the full potential of their people.
The World Cup 2026 will remind us that the best teams are not only built on individual stars!
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