Is there a link between an entrepreneur’s personality and the performance of their company?
A recent study published in Nature Scientific Reports analysed data from over 21,000 startups and found compelling evidence that certain personality traits among entrepreneurs correlate with higher chances of success.
Key findings include:
- Successful entrepreneurs often exhibit traits like openness to new experiences, high energy levels, and a willingness to be the centre of attention.
- There isn’t a single “entrepreneurs personality type”; instead, six distinct personality profiles were identified among successful entrepreneurs.
- Startups with diverse founding teams, in terms of personality, tend to perform better, highlighting the value of psychological diversity.
These insights underscore the importance of understanding team dynamics and personality compositions in the entrepreneurial journey.
Link to the study here.
Can You Really Measure Leadership?
The case for turning executive behaviour into data (without losing the human touch)
We all know leadership when we see it — or do we?
Ask ten people to define “great leadership” and you’ll get ten different answers: visionary, empathic, decisive, analytical, humble, bold. The problem? We talk about leadership like it’s an art, but we run companies like it’s a science. That mismatch gets expensive.
So, here’s the real question: Can you actually measure leadership? And if you can, should you?
The Impact of Leadership
In research we find that leadership makes a difference: pioneers like Fred Kiel (Return on Character) and Jim Collins (Good to Great) showed that character, humility and execution power have a direct impact on performance. Thinkers like:
- Daniel Goleman – brought emotional intelligence to the heart of leadership.
- Robert Greenleaf – showed to impact of servant leadership.
- Edgar Schein – showed how leaders influence culture through the undercurrent.
The Leadership Paradox
Leadership is widely accepted as one of the most important drivers of organizational success. Yet, it is also one of the least measured and most misunderstood dimensions of business performance.
In most companies, leadership effectiveness is assessed informally: gut feeling, vague feedback, and political consensus. The result? High performers go unrecognized, and blind spots remain unchallenged.
And in founder-led or fast-growing companies, the stakes are even higher: leadership behaviour directly shapes culture, speed, and resilience.
Why Measurement Matters
The old adage holds true: what gets measured gets managed. When we fail to measure leadership, we:
- Let assumptions drive strategic decisions
- Overlook risks in team dynamics
- Miss chances for growth through self-awareness
In scale-ups, leadership friction is often the invisible force behind missed targets, failed transitions, and employee churn. You can’t fix what you don’t see.
What Can Be Measured?
No, we can’t put a number on someone’s ability to inspire. But we can measure patterns of behaviour that shape how people lead:
- Personality traits — with tools like the Enneagram or Big Five
- Communication styles — how direct, empathic, or factual someone tends to be
- Decision-making patterns — risk tolerance, speed, intuition vs. analysis
- Influence style — formal vs. informal, visionary vs. practical
- Team dynamics — how well different leadership styles complement or clash
These dimensions are observable, consistent, and measurable over time.
Measure Without Reducing
There’s a risk here: turning leadership into a scorecard. That’s not the point. Measurement should support understanding — not oversimplification. The best models don’t rank leaders. They give them a mirror. Measurement is powerful when it helps leaders:
- Reflect on their patterns
- Understand how others experience them
- Balance their instincts with new behaviours
It’s about growth, not grading.
What We’re Learning at Kode360
At Kode360, we use People Insights to map leadership personalities across key dimensions like communication, conflict handling, and decision-making.
Through our MBA research at Nyenrode, we’re now exploring how those leadership profiles correlate with company performance. Early signals show:
- Teams with balanced personalities make faster decisions
- Diverse communication styles improve problem-solving (if they’re understood)
- Certain personality clusters correlate with growth slowdowns — especially around control and delegation
This isn’t about labelling people. It’s about helping leadership teams work better together.
So… Can You Measure Leadership?
Yes — if you measure to understand, not to judge.
The best leaders want to be measured. Not to win a score, but to grow. They know leadership isn’t about being perfect — it’s about being aware, adaptable, and ready to lead better tomorrow than they did today.
