Life time success can be predicted well by one of the 5 big personality traits.
I recall a remark by Jordan Peterson about the OCEAN model – the idea that personalities can be measured across 5 dimensions – Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.
Of these he said conscientiousness is the biggest predictor of success and, of the two elements of conscientiousness, orderliness and industriousness, the latter is more important.
Or to put it in fewer words, people that work hard get ahead.
But, I wonder if that applies mainly to work – to the contribution you make.
I think leadership may be different – the best leaders are perhaps ones that score highly on openness instead.
Openness is being willing to look beyond the here and now. To engage with new ideas, even if they are uncomfortable or new, and grapple with existing organisational structures to bring in new and better.
Another way to look at this is to see great contributors as being heads down, focused on the work and the next task – on what’s happening right now.
Great leaders are heads up, scanning for what comes next.
Handcrafted insight 