Why Your Employees Resist Change: The Temperament Traits Every Leader Should Know

Have you conducted a meeting to share a new company initiative you’re excited about, only to be met with resistance and negativity? Perhaps, you’ve felt your blood pressure rise as a team member adamantly pokes holes in ideas, digging in their heels for what appears to be irrational.

Every team and company leader has experienced “difficult” employees. We like to label them as just that: “difficult," "negative,” or “stubborn.”  And every company has employee conflicts.

But what if these frustrating workplace dynamics aren’t about personality flaws? Or a lack of communication skills? Or even low emotional intelligence?

It’s something far more fundamental, but rarely understood.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

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How Temperament Plays Out in Employees and Teams

Over the past couple of decades, as an executive coach and emotional intelligence trainer, I’ve discovered that it’s rare for people to understand their temperament, let alone for leaders to realize how crucial the knowledge is.

I remember teaching temperament to a marketing group a few years ago. During the training, their 24-year-old Marketing Director was aghast, saying the subject should be a required course in every elementary school.

For him, he had shamed himself for years because his specific temperament traits differed from those of others in his classes and circle of friends. He did lousy on tests and judged himself harshly. He thought it was ridiculous that he paced while talking on the phone, but he craved movement.

These challenges were temperament traits across the board. This invisible force shapes our reactions, drives our behaviors, and defines our interactions in the workplace.

When employee behaviors are misunderstood or mishandled, it costs your company in productivity and resources. To be an emotionally intelligent leader includes understanding temperament so you can better communicate, inspire, and lead your teams.

Understanding the “why” behind employee’s needs and behaviors is an incredible key to unlocking a more harmonious and emotionally intelligent workplace.

The Blueprint of You: What Is Temperament?

Before we dive in any deeper, let’s get clearer on what we’re talking about.

Temperament is not the same as personality.

Think of temperament as the biological blueprint for your emotional and behavioral style. It’s the set of innate traits you were born with. Personality, on the other hand, is what’s built on top of that blueprint—shaped by your upbringing, experiences, and culture.

You can learn to be more organized, but your innate tolerance for chaos and frustration is part of your temperament.

Temperament is grounded in decades of research. The landmark New York Longitudinal Study, started in the 1950s by psychiatrists Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess, identified nine core temperament traits observable from infancy. Their work revealed that these traits are biological and enduring, influencing how we respond to the world throughout our lives.

At Heartmanity, we build on this foundational science with a framework of ten traits that provides a practical lens for understanding ourselves and others. These traits exist on a spectrum, and each of us has a unique combination that makes us who we are.

There are no “good” or “bad” temperaments—only different styles. And each temperament trait and its accompanying intensities interact uniquely. The chart below shows the ten traits:

Temperament in Action: Real-Life Scenarios in the Workplace

As leaders, you've probably been perplexed at employee behavior and workplace drama. When you start viewing your employees through the lens of temperament, their most baffling behaviors suddenly start to make sense.

Let’s look at some of the most challenging traits and how they show up at work.

Your Employee Who Resists Change—It's NOT  Stubbornness!

Change is a constant in life and business, no way around it! Agile companies and leaders survive—and thrive. So, if you're frustrated with employees who resist change, you'll benefit from understanding temperament.

For some employees, every new initiative, software update, or change in a process feels like a battle. They resist, complain, drag their feet, and seem to cling to the old way of doing things. You might interpret their behavior as stubborn or resistant to progress.

But what you’re likely seeing is low adaptability in their temperament.

People on this end of the spectrum don’t resist change to be difficult; they are simply wired to need more time and information to adjust. Their brains crave predictability and routine. When a change is announced, their immediate, visceral reaction is one of discomfort and anxiety.

A manager I coached was struggling with a veteran employee who was fighting a new accounting system. Instead of making his behavior the problem, we adopted a new approach that matched his unique temperament.

The manager met with the employee one-on-one, answering questions and concerns without the pressure of other employees' eye-rolling. She gave him advance notice of the launch with a copy of system manual to study beforehand. She also provided an extra training session as a follow-up. With these adjustments, this employee shifted easily and became one of the system’s biggest advocates.

The Overwhelmed Genius in the Open-Plan Office

Have you ever worked with someone who is brilliant and insightful but seems to get easily frazzled by the office environment? They wear noise-canceling headphones, flinch when someone walks up too abruptly, complain about the nearby employee’s air freshener or about the room being too hot or cold. They seem to disappear when the office gets loud and chaotic.

It’s easy to misinterpret their behavior as being antisocial or not being a team player.

More likely, you’re witnessing high sensitivity.

For these individuals, the constant sensory input of a modern office—the fluorescent lights, the endless chatter, the smell of microwaved popcorn isn’t just a minor annoyance, it’s a neurological onslaught. Studies show that their brains don’t filter out stimuli as easily as others.

Forcing them to work in a loud, open space is like asking someone else to write a detailed report next to the pounding of a jackhammer. The solution isn’t to “toughen up,” but to create an environment where they can thrive.

A company I consulted for had an employee who was tanking in productivity. Again—temperament. The manager had put him in the middle of an open office plan. With his extremely high sensitivity, the conversations, distractions and noise destroyed his concentration and focus. He was burned out and a mess. After moving him to a quiet office, his productivity soared.

Other possible adjustments for sensitive employees could be allowing them to work from a quiet corner, use the conference room (when available) for tasks requiring focus, or give them a flexible hybrid option, working from home several times a week.

The “Dream Killer” in Brainstorming Sessions

You know this person. The team is buzzing with creative energy, and then that person speaks up: “That will never work because…” or “Clearly, you haven’t thought about the flaws in your thinking.” It can feel like a personal attack on your idea and instantly deflate the team’s energy and morale.

This person is likely someone with a serious, analytical temperament trait on the high end. Their brain is wired to spot problems, risks and potential pitfalls. While a person at the opposite spectrum in mood sees all the possibilities with positivity, the analytical person’s value is in seeing—and preventing—the potential train wrecks.

They aren’t trying to kill the excitement; their temperament is compelling them to find fault.

A past client of mine, a CEO, used to get incredibly frustrated with his Chief Operating Officer, who shot down ideas in every strategy meeting. After learning about temperament, he reframed the COO’s input as a vital “risk assessment.” He started saying, “Thank you for stress-testing this idea. Now, how can we solve the issues you’ve raised?”

Using creative ideas for target practice is discouraging to team synergy and effectiveness. To remedy this challenge, they decided only to invite the COO to meetings AFTER the initiative or product was ready for criticism and risk assessment, allowing for heightened creativity earlier. 

These changes shifted the workplace dynamic from conflict to collaboration, increased innovation and prevented potential problems.

Related reading: "Elevate Employee Engagement and Performance through the Empathy in the Workplace."

The Freedom of Understanding: From Judgment to Compassion

Can you feel the shift in each of these scenarios?

When we utilize the science of temperament, everything changes. 

Understanding inborn temperament is foundational for every employee, leader, and team. It removes judgment simply by understanding the differences between people. Knowing the temperament traits are inborn and unchangeable, we’re more likely to work “with” the qualities instead of against them.

It’s incredibly liberating.

You stop taking things so personally. Your colleague’s intensity isn’t about you; it’s their temperament.

Your boss asking for a detailed plan before approving a project isn’t a lack of trust; it’s their cautious, analytical nature.

This understanding is the cornerstone of what researchers call Goodness-of-Fit—the idea that a healthy environment is one where the demands and expectations are compatible with an individual’s temperament. Trying to change someone’s innate wiring is a losing battle.

Adapting the environment, our communication, and our expectations to create a space where everyone can contribute their unique strengths is a powerful shift.

This attention and implementation of temperament fosters deep psychological safety in the workplace.

When employees feel seen and understood, not just for their skills but for their fundamental way of being, they are more likely to take risks, share ideas, and collaborate authentically. The humor comes back. We can laugh at our own quirks and appreciate the different styles around us, building a culture of compassion and mutual respect.

Putting Temperament to Work: Practical Steps for a Smarter, Happier Workplace

Knowledge is only powerful when it’s applied. Here are practical ways to start using the power of temperament in your workplace today. If you want in-depth training, contact Heartmanity.

Temperament Tips for Leaders and Managers:

Lead with Curiosity, Not Judgment.
The next time an employee’s behavior frustrates you, pause and ask, “What temperament trait might be driving this behavior?” This simple question can shift you from annoyance to leading with empathy.

Structure Meetings for All Temperaments.
Send out agendas and pre-reading materials in advance. This preplanning gives your low-adaptability and cautious team members time to process and prepare. During brainstorming, use a round-robin technique, so your less-intense employees have a dedicated time to speak.

Give Feedback with Temperament in Mind.
A highly sensitive employee may need feedback delivered gently and privately, while a less sensitive, high-energy employee might prefer it to be direct and to the point. Tailoring your leadership approach shows respect and ensures your message is received.

Build Teams with Complementary Traits.
When putting together a project team, don’t just look at skills. Think about temperament. You need the optimistic, high-energy person to get things started, but you also need the analytical, persistent person to make sure it gets finished correctly.

Temperament Tips for All Employees

Understand Your Own Temperament.
Start by identifying your own traits. Are you highly active? Slow to adapt? Knowing your own blueprint allows you to advocate for what you need to succeed. For example: “I’m finding it hard to concentrate on this report with all the noise. I’m going to book a quiet room for the next hour.”

Reframe Your Colleagues’ Behavior.
Instead of thinking, “He’s so negative,” try thinking, “He has an analytical temperament that helps us see risks.” Instead of “She’s so scattered,” try “She has high energy and is great at getting multiple things started.”

Communicate with Compassion.
When you understand that a co-worker’s need for routine is as real as your need for variety, you can approach them with more empathy. You can say, “I know this is a big change, so let’s walk through it step-by-step.”

Closing Thoughts

Understanding temperament isn’t a magic wand that will eliminate all workplace conflict. However, it IS a profound and practical framework for building a more humane, effective, and emotionally intelligent workplace.

Understanding this scientific, biological concept can dramatically transform workplace relationships and team synergy. Learning about our unique inborn temperament allows us to honor each other’s differences more easily, leverage our collective strengths, and stop taking ourselves—and each other—so seriously. It's a tool that can turn conflict and workplace stress into a hub of compassion, productivity, and genuine connection.

And in today’s world, that’s not just a nice idea; it’s a competitive advantage.

Visit Heartmanity for Business for our services. Hire Jennifer to train your team in temperament for best results. Build your thriving company culture today!

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