An Evidence-Based Approach to Personality and Leadership

A leader's bullying and constant dismissal of his team's concerns nearly take down an entire company-and the global financial system. The U.S. Government has to provide a $182 billion bailout. A new CEO transforms a near-bankrupt auto company and its infamously competitive culture becomes more collaborative and thrives-making it the only auto manufacturer to not take bailout funds.

These stories share a truth: Each leader's personality set the course of their company's future. We all know that IQ, education, knowledge, and technical skills are essential for professionals, but they alone are insufficient for effective leadership. Who you are as a person-your personality and character-drives leadership performance and determines who thrives and who fails.

In Personality at Work, psychologist Ron Warren lays out the key personality traits that drive high performance-and the common traits that derail it. Warren clusters closely re