What personality traits make a CEO successful? And do those qualities differ depending on the industry?
In a recent test, IBM Supercomputer Watson ranked industry leading CEO’s according to dominant personality traits. The analysis, conducted by Paysa, used Watson’s Personality Insights program to rank industry leaders. To identify the specific traits, Watson uses a language analytics program that interprets the CEO’s communication style through blogs, tweets and forum posts.
The industries studied were: Entertainment, Fashion, Finance, Law, Marketing, Media, Medicine, and Politics.
The test found that the 6 dominant personality traits of the CEO’s studied vary substantially by industry.
However, the results showed clearly that 2 characteristics stood out more than all the rest.
Intellect – The #1 Personality Trait For Successful CEO’s
Intellect was the winner across almost all industries. It ranked #1 for Entertainment, Fashion, Finance, Law, Marketing, Media, and Medicine.
Politics was the only industry where Intellect didn’t take the top honors. Instead, Watson identified the driving trait for politicians as Altruism.
It takes brain power to sit at the helm of a large organization. As a CEO, you will be responsible for understanding, implementing, and solving complex business operations. To quickly analyze situations when the stakes are high, a sharp intellect is necessary.
Altruism – The #2 Personality Trait For Successful CEO’s
Interestingly, Watson found that Altruism also plays a powerful role for CEO’s, coming in as the second most seen trait overall. CEO’s with selfless concern for the well-being of others falls just below intellect in the industries of Law, Marketing, Media, and Medicine.
Altruism came in at #3 for both Fashion and Finance and came in at #6 in the Entertainment industry.
But why is Altruism a driving factor across industries?
As a CEO, no matter what industry you work in, the focus should be on providing benefit to others. When making decisions, CEO’s don’t think about personal benefits. Instead, they consider the impact on shareholders, employees, and company partners. A good CEO cares deeply about the success of their organization on every level.
To become a CEO, focus first on developing high intellect and an altruistic demeanor. These 2 characteristics will serve you well in any industry. However, after that point, the remaining traits vary per industry, with some surprising distinctions making Watson’s top 6 list.