What Are the 10 Saboteurs?

Where does the idea of 10 saboteurs come from?

The 10 saboteurs come from Positive Intelligence, a mental fitness framework developed by Shirzad Chamine and set out in his book of the same name. The framework describes two parts of the mind: the saboteurs, which react from fear, pressure and self-protection, and the Sage, which responds with curiosity, empathy and calm action. You can read the framework's own description on the Positive Intelligence website.

The saboteurs are not a personality test or a list of flaws. They are habits of mind that formed early, usually because they helped you cope or succeed. The trouble is that they keep running long after the situation that created them has gone. For a broader view of how this fits into training the mind, see what mental fitness is.

What does each saboteur sound like in a leader?

Each saboteur has a familiar inner voice and a visible effect on the people around you. The descriptions below are general patterns, not labels to pin on yourself or your colleagues.

Why is the Judge treated as the master saboteur?

The Judge is called the master saboteur because almost everyone has one, and it switches on the others. It judges you ('I should have handled that better'), it judges other people ('They never think things through') and it judges circumstances ('This should not be happening').

Once the Judge has delivered a verdict, an accomplice usually acts on it. A self-judgement might wake the Hyper-Achiever and send you into another late night of work. A judgement about a colleague might wake the Controller, so you take the task back. Learning to hear the Judge early is often the single most useful shift a leader makes. My guide to quieting your inner critic goes into practical techniques.

How can you tell which saboteurs are strongest in you?

The quickest route is the free saboteur assessment published by Positive Intelligence, which ranks how strongly each pattern shows up for you. Treat the result as a starting hypothesis rather than a verdict, then test it against real moments.

1. 01

   Take the self-assessment

   Answer honestly about how you actually behave under pressure, not how you would like to behave.

2. 02

   Notice the trigger moments

   For one week, note when you felt tense, irritated or anxious at work and what you did next.

3. 03

   Name the voice

   Match each moment to a saboteur. Naming it ('That was my Pleaser') creates a small gap between you and the pattern.

4. 04

   Spot the justification

   Every saboteur tells you it is helping. Write down the story it uses, for example 'Without me checking, standards would slip.'

Are the saboteurs ever useful?

Yes, in the sense that each saboteur grew from something that worked. The Hyper-Achiever often helped build a strong career, and the Stickler may have earned you a reputation for quality. That is exactly why they are hard to let go: they feel like strengths.

The cost appears when the pattern runs automatically. Positive Intelligence argues that the drive and standards you value can come from the Sage instead, through five Sage powers: empathise, explore, innovate, navigate and activate. The difference is that the Sage achieves without the anxiety, self-criticism and damage to relationships that the saboteur brings with it.

What could weakening a saboteur look like in practice?

Imagine a newly promoted regional sales director whose Controller is strong. Her team respects her, but every proposal comes back covered in her edits, and two capable managers have stopped bringing ideas forward.

Rather than trying to stop controlling by willpower, she might start by noticing the moment the urge arrives: a tight jaw, the reflex to open the document. She labels it, takes a few seconds to focus on a physical sensation, then asks the manager one question before making any change. Over several weeks, her edits shrink, and the team's ownership grows. This is a hypothetical scenario, but the sequence of notice, name, pause and choose is the core of the practice.

When does coaching help with the saboteurs?

Coaching helps when you understand the saboteurs intellectually but still find them running the show on a hard day. A coach can spot the pattern in the way you describe a situation, often before you can, and help you build the daily habits that weaken it.

I am a certified Positive Intelligence coach, and my mental fitness coaching combines the framework's tools with one-to-one sessions, in person in Manama or online, in Arabic or English. If you want to measure progress over time, read about what a PQ score is.