We surveyed 2,688 CEOs to learn what personality traits and interests make them unique. Here are the results.


Holland Codes

CEOs are enterprising and investigative

CEOs 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 investigative, which means that they are quite inquisitive and curious people that often like to spend time alone with their thoughts.

If you are one or both of these archetypes, you may be well suited to be a CEO. 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 CEO break down:


Big Five

The top personality traits of CEOs are extraversion and conscientiousness

CEOs score highly on extraversion, meaning that they rely on external stimuli to be happy, such as people or exciting surroundings. They also tend to be high on the measure of conscientiousness, which means that they are methodical, reliable, and generally plan out things in advance.

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