Jason Hreha: Stop Forcing Change: What Behavioral Science Really Says About Leadership Growth

Dec 16, 2025

42:19

forum

Ask episode

view_agenda

Chapters

auto_awesome

Transcript

info_circle

Episode notes

About Jason Hreha:

Jason Hreha is a behavioral scientist and entrepreneur specializing in applying behavioral science to solve business challenges. After studying neuroscience at Stanford and conducting research in BJ Fogg's Persuasive Technology Lab, Jason has spent 15 years developing Behavioral Strategy, a methodical approach for turning research into actionable business solutions. As Global Head of Behavioral Science at Walmart, he established and led the company's first behavioral science team, and he also founded Dopamine and co-founded Kite.io, later acquired by Quixey. As CEO of Persona, Jason transforms talent assessment through research-backed psychometric tools that predict employee performance and fit, and his book Real Change challenges conventional approaches to habits through science-based frameworks. Jason's work has been cited in Atomic Habits and featured in Inc.com, Knowledge at Wharton, and BigThink, and he continues to advise organizations on applying behavioral science for innovation and growth.

In this episode, Dean Newlund and Jason Hreha discuss:

Understanding how core personality traits drive leadership effectiveness
Exploring why emotional stability underpins real emotional intelligence
Examining the limits of adult personality change and what that means for teams
Recognizing how interpersonal friction often comes from mismatched styles
Considering how AI models express measurable personalities that shape user behavior

Key Takeaways:

Identify your own trait profile using a validated Big Five assessment so you can play the leadership “hand” you actually have instead of chasing traits you do not possess.
Reduce conflict by assuming others cannot easily change their styles and instead adapt your expectations so collaboration becomes easier and less personal.
Strengthen your culture by clarifying norms, incentives, and strategic consistency so the environment aligns behavior without needing personality change.
Use AI tools more effectively by understanding their default personality traits and adjusting your prompts or model choice to complement—not mirror—your own tendencies.

"It’s hard to be emotionally intelligent if you’re angry or upset or annoyed or freaked out.” — Jason Hreha

Connect with Jason Hreha:

Website: https://www.personatalent.com/

Blog: https://www.thebehavioralscientist.com/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0CVCZ2VR9

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebehavioralscientist

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hreha/ & https://www.linkedin.com/company/personatalent/

X (Twitter): https://x.com/jhreha & https://x.com/PersonaTalent

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/choosepersona/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.behavioral.scientist

See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I

Connect with Dean: