We surveyed 1,874 chief executives to learn what personality traits and interests make them unique. Here are the results.


Holland Codes

Chief executives are enterprising and conventional

Chief executives tend to be predominantly enterprising individuals, which means that they are usually quite natural leaders who thrive at influencing and persuading others. They also tend to be conventional, meaning that they are usually detail-oriented and organized, and like working in a structured environment.

If you are one or both of these archetypes, you may be well suited to be a chief executive. However, if you are realistic, this is probably not a good career for you. Unsure of where you fit in? Take the career test now.

Here’s how the Holland codes of the average chief executive break down:


Big Five

The top personality traits of chief executives are conscientiousness and social responsibility

Chief executives score highly on conscientiousness, which means that they are methodical, reliable, and generally plan out things in advance. They also tend to be high on the measure of social responsibility, indicating that they desire fair outcomes and have a general concern for others.

Once again, let’s break down the components of the personality of an average chief executive: