A therapy client once told me she was hesitating to apply for a VP role that had opened at her company. “I’m an ISTJ,” she said. “I’m not leadership material.”
She had taken a personality test offered by her HR department and it had described her as structured, detail-oriented, and reserved. The report from the test went on to say that she’d be well-suited to roles that require quiet focus and independent work. My client had taken that to mean she wasn’t cut out to lead teams or drive strategy.
I hear this all the time. We assume that some people are “leadership material” and others aren’t. We picture a leader as someone who is naturally confident, assertive, decisive, and even charismatic.
This perspective on the personality traits needed to be a good leader leaves out two important truths:
- There are multiple personality pathways to being a strong leader
- Personality isn’t fixed, so anyone can develop traits to help them succeed in desired roles
Returning to my client, she came to me because she was also feeling stuck in her job. She wanted new responsibilities, and she was definitely interested in the pay raise that would come with a promotion.
First, we worked on painting her existing traits as strengths. Being reserved was recast as being mindful of others’ perspectives when making decisions. Preferring to stay out of the spotlight meant she was great at lifting up the accomplishments of her team.
Next, we actively developed the traits that would help her be even more successful in the VP role. Personality science tells us that traits evolve across the lifespan and that we can speed up those changes by taking intentional actions. For example, my client wanted to be more assertive about making final decisions at the end of a team discussion.
The Leadership “Type”
Most personality tests offered by HR departments put you into a “type” or box. However, many popular personality tests like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Enneagram don’t have strong scientific support (Hook et al., 2021; Rajeswari et al., 2025). Instead, personality scientists—psychologists who study how to best understand differences across people—use tests that measure the Big Five personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability.
A good way to understand the Big Five is to imagine each trait as sliders on a sound board. Every person has their own unique level of each trait that, taken together, forms their personality. When we think of personality like this, we can see that there isn’t just one personality profile that makes someone a strong leader. Let’s consider what this looks like for each trait.
We often assume leaders need to be high in extraversion – high energy and charismatic. And while it is true that extraverts thrive in leadership roles, some of the most effective leaders are quieter and more reflective. They’re the kind of people who listen closely in meetings and make others feel heard.
Similarly, leaders high in conscientiousness might excel because they’re reliable and organized. But, if your conscientiousness “slider” is in the middle, you might be better able to balance structure with flexibility, adapting when circumstances change.
Agreeableness also shows different leadership strengths along its continuum. Highly agreeable leaders inspire loyalty through empathy and collaboration, whereas those who are more assertive can make tough decisions without overthinking how others will react. Both approaches can drive teams forward, depending on the context.
Visionary, high-openness leaders are the ones dreaming up new strategies or reimagining industry norms. Leaders who are more traditional can translate their teams’ innovative ideas into practical, workable plans.
Even emotional sensitivity (neuroticism), which is often mislabeled as a weakness, can be a leadership asset. People who pick up on subtle interpersonal shifts often catch problems like burnout or conflict early. Meanwhile, calmer, low-reactivity leaders bring steadiness during high-stress moments.
Leadership Essential Reads
Long story short: there isn’t a single “leadership personality.” There are many.
You’re Not Born With It: Leadership Traits Are Cultivated
Even more important than recognizing that there are many paths to leadership is understanding that your personality is not set in stone. People have long believed that personality traits stabilize in early adulthood and stay put. But modern personality science shows the opposite (Roberts et al., 2006). Traits naturally shift across the lifespan, and they can shift even faster when we work on them intentionally.
Big Five personality traits are essentially your patterns of thinking and behaving. So personality change looks like shifting self-limiting beliefs that keep you stuck (“I’m not leadership material,” “I am not an organized person”). It also involves acting like the person you want to become. For example, if you share an idea in a meeting when you’d normally keep it to yourself, then you’ve taken the first step toward shifting your traits. And if you maintain these changes to your thinking and behavior over time, it solidifies into genuine trait change.
This is exactly what I helped my client do. We identified the traits that would help her succeed in the VP role and broke them down into specific, doable behaviors: speaking up once per meeting, practicing making clear decisions at the end of discussions, and using grounding strategies before high-stakes conversations. With repetition, she started to see herself as a leader. Eventually, these new behaviors didn’t feel forced. Instead, they became part of her leadership style.
Grow Into the Leader You Want to Be
Leadership material isn’t something you’re “born” with. It’s a collection of traits that emerge through practice, consistency, and a willingness to stretch beyond your comfort zone.
If you’re curious which traits naturally support your leadership potential—and which ones you can develop—my Personality Compass Roadmap can help.
