And finally…introverts make best corporate leaders

Researchers from ghSmart, a Chicago-based consultancy firm have looked at the personalities of 2,000 executives and found that the majority of successful CEOs were, in fact, introverts.

The findings of the research, which spanned a decade flies in the face of the image most people have of a typical leader.

The study, called the CEO Genome Project, includes a test anyone can do to find out whether they have what it takes to be a CEO.

“When we flip on the news, or check our social media feeds, we are bombarded with images of well-groomed, Ivy league-educated icons of the Fortune 100,” the study authors write. “And we can’t help but think, I could never be them.

“In fact, they come from surprisingly varied backgrounds. Of the six million CEOs of companies in America, only seven per cent went to an elite school—and eight per cent didn’t graduate college at all. Some are immigrants; many worked their way up through the ranks from entry-level positions.”

To reach their conclusions, the researchers made a database of assessments, including comprehensive performance appraisals and extensive biographical information, which documented everything from behavioural patterns and demographic information to career history and previous job performance.

From these findings, they were able to work out who amongst us are most likely to become a CEO.

They found that the four most important traits for CEOs are:

About half of the candidates had at least one of these characteristics.

“The biggest aha, overall, is that some of the things that make CEOs attractive to the board have no bearing on their performance,” said Elena Lytkina Botelho, a partner at ghSmart and a co-founder of the project.

“Like most human beings, they get seduced by charismatic, polished presenters. They simply do better in interviews.”