Have you heard of the big five personality traits? These traits place personalities on a spectrum of extroversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. Technical knowledge is key for foundational efforts, but ultimately it’s the winning combination of the big five traits that sees us through to true success. Low levels of neuroticism, high levels of openness, extroversion, and conscientiousness, combined with a smidge of agreeableness, seem to be the recipe for a personality most likely to get along with and be liked by others.
And why is this important? Effective communication, negotiation, and leadership skills can enable better teamwork and help us navigate complex social dynamics that ultimately propel us forward to achievement. Leaders who can actively listen and inspire others are helped to reach their goals through the efforts of those that they’ve motivated. Having the charisma and determination to negotiate properly can open doors to opportunities that technical skills alone might not provide.
You may have all of the technical skills in the world, but it’s the distinctly human element of a charismatic personality that is most attributable to success. We must nourish an ability to be open to life experiences and communication with others, to be conscientious enough to lead, and to be extroverted enough to negotiate.

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