The Power of Personality - Amazon S3 Super Personalities Behind Top Leaders: The Power Of...

How Language Gives us a Window into the Super Minds of Top Leaders

The Power of Personality

The Super Personalities Behind Top Leaders: The Power Of Personality 2

“This model is extremely valuable for predicting behavior.”DR. TERRY MCGUIRE Former Lead Psychiatrist, Manned Space Flight, NASA

Today, most organizations have a personality of their own. Naturally, many take on the personality of their leaders, creating distinct and often defining attributes that can become synonymous with their brand. Think Tesla, which quickly defined itself through its ingenuity and innovativeness—both core attributes of its founder, Elon Musk.

When organizations take on the personalities of people, several questions arise; do different personalities equate to different business outcomes? Do our own personalities determine our career success? And what are the real personalities behind some of today’s top leaders?

As part of our quest to understand and harness the power of personality to improve how organizations interact with and service their customers, Mattersight applies the Process Communication Model (PCM) -- a language-based personality typology that shows a correlation between the language people use and how they interpret the world around them.

In the following report, we apply this model to analyze some of the world’s most famous current and former CEO’s to learn more about the personalities that have gotten them where they are.

With six distinct personalities in PCM, each one of these leaders possesses a unique set of attributes, skills and strengths that they harness similar to how superheroes harness their gifts to achieve greatness.

The Power of Personality


First developed by clinical psychologist Dr. Taibi Kahler in the 1970s, PCM is the only linguistic-based behavioral model in existence.

To put it simply, PCM enables personality to be accurately assessed by analyzing language. Leveraging the Personality Pattern Inventory (PPI), PCM is able to provide information regarding individual choices from which specific communication, interaction, and motivational preferences can be interpreted.

Supported by over 30 years of research and practical application by clinicians and organizations, including NASA, who used the model to assess the psychological fitness of astronauts, PCM has an advantage over other preference based models like MBTI and DISC because its language based approach makes it harder for users to “game the system.”

The six personality styles that PCM identifies have their own specific behavioral patterns, psychological drivers, and communication preferences. While aspects of all six styles are present in each of us, a preference for one particular style is revealed at an early age.

This “core” style is consistently advertised through

our word choices, language patterns, and syntax. Mattersight’s behavioral and data science teams have scaled and automated the application of PCM by predicting personality from unstructured data sets. Leveraging open-and closed-vocabulary analytic approaches on contact center conversations, the ability to accurately predict personality has been bolstered over the years by:

• Analyzing 100M+ personality profiles

• 125,000+ customer service and telesales agents taking a PCM assessment

• 1B+ conversations recorded and transcribed in high fidelity stereo for unsupervised machine learning

This combination of analytical experience and data has enabled us to create algorithms that rapidly interpret massive volumes of unstructured data from conversations and produce a comprehensive catalog of more than 20,000 distinct words, phrases, and other linguistic features that relate to personality.

The Science of Language Mining

PCM has an advantage over other preference based models like MBTI and DISC because its language based approach makes it harder for users to “game the system.”


A sample of these linguistic features are visualized below, with bolded text representing the relative importance of the feature. For example, “basically” and “make certain” are both predictors of Organizers, with ”basically” being twice as important in terms of frequency and strength of correlation.

Previous studies from organizations, such as the Journal of Business and Management, have asserted that CEO’s have these personality traits: a need for achievement, a focus of control, risk-taking propensities, tolerance of ambiguity, and type-A personalities. However, can we bucket these personalities into different groupings based on language use?

To find out, the Mattersight team analyzed multiple public speaking videos from seven ‘celebrity’ CEO’s in a variety of settings (interviews, panels, etc.) Based on the analysis, and leveraging PCM, we have assigned a personality profile to each one of these CEO’s.

Let’s take a look at what the words these leaders use, and how they use them, say about their personalities.

Methodology

ORGANIZERBasicallyMy numbersBe sureInformationDiligent

I called youMake certain

Sample words and phrases that predict personality

DOERDon’t worryBottom lineCome onGet it togetherBetween you and meDo it

The bestKind ofSort ofFeelingVery kindGuess

CONNECTOR

ORIGINALYou guysFed upWhats the dealTryingGotta problemWell balanced

ADVISOR

Are you sayingWrongShould notDutyBig problemThat’s not rightBelieve

You people

DREAMERGoing over thatImagineNeed timeIn my mindWonderingHaving a Difficult


The SixPersonalities

Organizers

Connectors

Advisors

Originals

Doers

Dreamers



Organizers prioritize objective facts and data, clearly and efficiently presented. Words are unemotional and data-oriented. They are driven by a core need for recognition of their work and for time structure. Organizers’ word choices and language patterns evidence their preference for logic, quick processing, sequence, and structure. As leaders, Organizers are goal oriented, expect themselves to be perfect and typically prefer a democratic leadership style. When in distress, defined as when things are important, uncertain, unknown, the Organizer’s communication patterns will include over-detail and over-specification as driven by the need to be perfect. This can also lead to frustration due to people not thinking clearly or broken processes and difficulty in delegating.

Organizers

Elon Musk CEO, TESLA, SpaceX

Musk is revolutionizing transportation on earth and in space. His executive duties are vast -- overseeing Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity and OpenAI, while balancing work with fatherhood. Known for his futuristic thinking, data driven strategies, and ‘win at all cost’ attitude, Musk is your prototypical Organizer.

“The literal definition of a company…”

Style Call Out: facts, logic, linear thinking

Other Famous Organizers:

Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Martha Stewart, Warren Buffet, John Chambers, Susan Wojcicki

75% Male

25% of the population


Jeff Bezos CEO, Amazon

Bezos, a titan of multiple industries attributes much of his success to his childhood years spent tinkering and fixing equipment on his grandparents’ ranch in Texas. This early penchant for process and experimentation, combined with his data driven mind and lofty goal setting, a la Blue Origin, fit perfectly into the Organizer category.

“What kind of business plan would make sense?”Style Call Out: logical


Marissa Mayer Former CEO, Yahoo

Recognized for her ability to thrive in a male-dominated culture, Mayer’s become a bit of a polarizing figure amongst peers and former colleagues. But while her style may have alienated some, it has also propelled her to incredible heights as a leader. Her “we” versus “me” speak and focus on people help illustrate why Mayer is a true Connector.

Connectors

A Connector is the archetypical “people person”: caring, intuitive, attentive to relationships and attuned to the feelings of others. Connectors are driven by a core need for recognition of person and for sensory gratification. Their language conveys their sensitivity for others. They frequently reference their feeling states and share personal anecdotes as part of their nurturing leadership style. When in distress, Connectors are likely to over-accommodate (sometimes seen as the inability to make a decision) and look for consensus in their decision making. As leaders, they focus on relationships and teamwork and make decisions based on their impact on employees and customers.

“It’s personalized to you”Style call out: giving recognition to others

“… people come together”Style call out: people focused

Other Famous Connectors:

Jimmy Carter, Laura Bush, Princess Diana, Katie Couric, Herb Kelleher

75% Female



Other Famous Doers:

Donald Trump, Mark Cuban, Bethanny Frankel, Richard Branson

Travis Kalanick Former CEO, Uber

While Kalanick’s aggressive, no holds barred style is certainly responsible for much of Uber’s success, that same approach in part spawned a less than stellar company culture inside the ride sharing giant that eventually led to Kalanick’s ouster as CEO.

“My rating is a 5.0. ALL 5 star rides”Style call out: top dog

“We called that the nuclear weapon”Style call out: stirring the pot

Doers thrive on adrenaline and are experts at manipulating a situation into a win. In other words, they are known as charmers. They are driven by a core need for incidence: short bursts of intense, high-value action. The Doer’s word choices and language patterns reflect their preference for action over planning, and their appetite for risk and quick results over deliberation. In distress, their language can become manipulative or perceived as bullying. Doer leaders have a “get-it-done now” attitude and tend to be autocratic and direct.

Doers

A Tale of Two Ubers After being run by a Doer for almost a decade, Uber’s reigns were passed to an Organizer in Dara Khosrowshahi. Dara steps in amidst legal battles, executive vacancies, and Uber’s infamous workplace culture. Some of Uber’s recent decisions already reflect a shift in leadership personalities. (See Conclusion)

60% Male



Tim Cook CEO, Apple

Cook is known as a leader who trusts and values the opinions and voices of the team he surrounds himself with. He’s also been defined by how he stands firm in his beliefs, from taking public stands against President Trump, to being a consistent champion of diversity. His decision making, and values driven approach explain why Cook is an Advisor.

“…the mission of Apple”Style call out: focus on working towards the greater good

Advisors prioritize their values and judgment over data for data’s sake. Their driving need is for recognition of their convictions and of their work’s contribution to a greater good. Advisors employ firm, formal, deliberate, situationally appropriate word choices and language patterns, which evidence their conscientiousness, values, beliefs and sense of right and wrong. They tend to be democratic leaders. In distress, we will hear an almost lawyer-esque questioning routine as they vet for the right direction. They may become indignant at others not stepping up or not thinking of the greater good. For an Advisor leader, the “Why” is extremely important.

Other Famous Advisors:

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Meg Whitman, Jack Welch, Martin Luther King, Simon Sinek, Ken Blanchard, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, Melinda Gates

Advisors75% Male



Satya Nadella CEO, Microsoft

Known for his authenticity and belief for finding a deeper meaning in his work, Nadella exhibits many traits that make his classification as an Advisor clear. Some of these include his sense of loyalty as evidenced by 25+ years at Mcrosoft and his personal commitment to making the world a better place,

“.... have a deeper meaning”Style call out: belief statement


60% Male


Mark Zuckerberg

CEO, Facebook

As the wunderkind behind modern day Social Networking, Zuckerberg’s penchant for out-of-the-box thinking led to the creation of a company with a $500 billion valuation. He has also undergone an impressive evolution as a leader over the years. Easily frazzled when thrust into the spotlight early on in his career, he has turned into a polished leader, while sticking true to his Original roots.

“We’re making cool stuff.”Style call out: casual language

People with the Original personality style are fun, nonconformist, out-of-the-box thinkers. Leaders that fall under this category are true innovators. They are driven by a need for contact. Originals’ language patterns communicate preferences for spontaneity, fun, ease and informality, and their tendency toward extreme reactions. They tend to lead with a laissez faire style. In distress, they may deflect blame for their circumstances onto other people or the situation. We may hear them struggle to lighten up the situation through jokes or profanity that some may consider inappropriate for the seriousness of the circumstances.

Originals

Other Famous Originals:

Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Ljung, Evan Spiegel, Jan Koum


60% Female


The Dreamer CEO

Are there Dreamer CEOs in the corporate world today? We’re sure there are. So why aren’t they identified in this report?

Dreamers are calm, introspective, and imaginative. The Dreamer CEO is most likely going to have a strong second in command responsible for being the face of the company no matter how large or small. They prefer working alone and they need solitude to recharge. In times of stress or high demands, they will “disappear” either physically or mentally. These are not the typical traits that make news for a CEO, and let’s face it, the list of CEOs that the general public is familiar with is a short one. Thus, the possibility of there being Dreamer CEOs is highly likely.

“I imagine…”

“I’ve been going over that in my mind…”

“There are so many possibilities.”

Dreamers

Dreamers live in a rich internal world. They’re driven by a need for solitude and require very little external stimulation. Dreamers are people of few words. When they do speak, their language is literal, specific, requesting and impersonal, with little variation in tone. In distress, it can become fragmented and disorganized. Ideas are begun but not completed, and questions are left dangling in the hopes that the other party will pick up andtake over.


Celebrity CEO’s, and for that matter, the hundreds of thousands of individuals who serve as CEO throughout North America, have a unique ability to spot patterns— whether that be analyzing sales, recruiting top talent, or other day-to-day matters.

This unique talent has led many researchers on a quest to identify the very patterns that make up these top leaders. One of the ways to do this is to look at what’s at the core of a CEO’s leadership style: their personality.

While there are many ways to model personality, PCM is the only personality model that uses language as an important window into successful communication and interactions, as well as human behavior.

In our research, we analyzed language indicators such as keywords, phrases, tone and tempo, grammar, and syntax used by Celebrity CEO’s to identify their personality and better understand how that impacts their leadership. For instance, by identifying that Travis

Conclusion

Kalanick is a Doer, we are offered not only a window into his personality and leadership style, but also the culture that he built at Uber.

Interestingly, as Uber has changed its leadership team and appointed Dara Khosrowshahi (an Organizer) CEO, the company’s external language has already started to transform. The company’s well publicized response to its ban in London was data-driven and goal oriented versus being immediately on the offensive and trying to control the situation.

This initial research only scratches the surface in analyzing CEO personality based on the language leaders use. However, it illustrates that the words they use and the way in which they deliver them should not be viewed as hollow.

There is no secret formula for being a top CEO. However, if we can begin to better understand how leaders display and utilize their ‘core’ personality within the C-suite, we can begin to discern the impact of leadership personality on the organizations they run.

There is no secret formula for being a top CEO. However, if we can begin to better understand how leaders display and utilize their ‘core’ personality within the C-suite, we can begin to discern the impact of leadership personality on the organizations they run.


Tim Cook

“That has always been the mission of Apple: to do things that enrich people’s lives.”Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFdUa_WeTcQ (3:20–3:30)

Style Advertisement: Beliefs Statement; Focus on working towards the greater good

Notes: The work he does ties into making the world a better place. It’s about the big picture.

“This case is not about one phone. This case is about the future. What is at stake here is – Can the government compel Apple to write software that we believe would make hundreds of millions of customers vulnerable around the world and also trample Civil Liberties that are the basic foundation of what this country was made on.” Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGqLTFv7v7c

(0:49–1:30)

Style Advertisement: Beliefs/Value Statements; Doing the right thing even if it’s unpopular; Fighting for the underdog

Notes: Cook pays deference to the opposing side with respect but is passionate about his beliefs and unafraid to share them even if they are unpopular.

Elon Musk

“If somebody is working 50 hours and you’re working 100, you’ll get twice as much done as the person in the other company.” Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU7W7qe2R0A (1:10)

Style Advertisement: Psych Need; Recognition for Work; Logic; Data points

Notes: In illustrating his point, which is “work hard,” he uses data. He lays out his point in a logical fashion.

“All that a company is – is a group of people who have gathered together to create a product or service.”

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU7W7qe2R0A

(1:37)

Style Advertisement: Logic; Facts; Data points

Notes: Other styles would end the sentence “A company is…“ very differently. An Organizer shares the literal definition of a company because it’s fact. It just makes sense to him—there’s no way to misinterpret the data.

Language Analysis


Dara Khosrowashi

“I think the private markets at this point are valued based on fairly different metrics from public markets. I think that because interest rates are so low, the value of the dollar or the value of revenue five years from now is almost worth the value of revenue today.”

Source: https://www.recode.net/2017/8/28/16217644/dara-khosrowshahi-uber-ceo-skift-interview-management (5:07)

Style Advertisement: Linear; Logical; Data points; Specification

Notes: Dara frames his answer with specific data points that demonstrate his logical and linear thinking.

“What we’re interested in...is two things. One is, it’s a terrific brand that has been much more advertising-related. Their business has been about listings and advertising, and we think that we can help them move from an advertising model to a transactional model... Second is, we love their inventory. This alternative lodging, as a category, is exploding.” Source: https://www.geekwire.com/2016/interview-expedias-ceo-travel-giants-first-20-years-whats-next/ (4:00 – 4:27)

Style Advertisements: Listing; Details; Logic

Notes: Logically frames his reasoning behind acquiring HomeAway based on meeting a marketplace need.

Marissa Mayer

“I spend more time thinking about our users ... It’s personalized to you….I like Yahoo so do a lot of my friends.”

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DicjXPJ1Jg

Style Advertisement: Giving recognition to others; Team focused; Focused on the user (people) experience

Notes: The Connector’s innate empathy and people-focus is demonstrated through Marissa’s repeated references to the end user.

On remote work: “People are more collaborative, more inventive when people come together...Those things don’t come together unless someone from Flickr runs into someone from Weather in the hallway or cafeteria and has that conversation,” she said.Style Advertisement: Applies the teamwork philosophy as her way to achieve the goals expected of her position. Like a true Connector.


Travis Kalanick

“Mission Critical … It can have a mission critical impact.”

“We actually didn’t have to send the email. We called that the nuclear weapon.”Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uuTW2LidpU

Style Advertisements: Using words sayings like “Mission Critical” “Nuclear Weapon” creates incidence, makes things sound very exciting and important.

Notes: Taking upper hand in the conversation right off the bat by pointing out his interviewer made a mistake.

“My [Uber] rating is a 5 0. ALL 5 star rides.”

“I mean look, I just keep my eyes on the road.”

“We are doing Uber Eats. You push a button and you get lunch in 5 minutes.”Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lao7yPKjgeI

Style Advertisements: Thick skinned; Direct; Action-oriented; Top dog – when talking about all his Uber ratings are 5 stars

Notes: Action-oriented, direct; all about competition and being the best.

Jeff Bezos

He starts at the beginning, tells the details. His story tells the story in a chronological, logical, linear fashion. There’s not a belief in why Amazon was necessary or needed; it’s how it came into existence. “What kind of business plan would make sense?” Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlgkfOr_GLY

Style Advertisements: Specification such as literally, actually; Data driven outcome; “I thought…I did….I knew”

Notes: His story is consistent, based upon numbers, based upon the data. He is solving problems; not starting businesses.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx92bUw7WX8 (entire interview)

Gives us history, specifics, “one of my jobs”, “if they are experiments, you don’t know ahead of time if they are going to work”, “last thing to do”, actually, the reality is, “the way I think about it”Style Advertisements: Linear; Logical; Data points

Notes: He frames his answers in a logical, linear fashion. He shares his experiences matter of factly.


Mark Zuckerberg

“If I get through this speech today, it’ll be the first thing I ever finish here at Harvard. You all know what I’m talkin’ about.”Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VwElW7SbLA (0:00 – 5:00)

Style Advertisement: All experiential, remember moments, great moments; Light hearted; Cracking jokes the whole time

Notes: Light hearted and uses experiences/moments.

Showing off Facebook’s HQ: “We just thought we were making cool stuff” shows the office space. We have hackathons….we stay up all night to build things.”Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2VAIbEdTv8

Syle Advertisement: Casual language

During a keynote early on in his career: “It’s getting hot in here…whoa. I never take off the hoodie ... maybe I should take off the hoodie.” Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbOwdjSodeU

Style Advertisement: Great example of distress,; moaning; Trying to lighten the situation with talk about his hoodie.

Satya Nadella

“It’s a question I ask myself very deeply.”

“When I think of the core of why I am here it is impact.”

“What’s a better place than Microsoft?…” – rhetorical

“Honored. Humbled. Excited.” – when asked how he felt when he was offered the roleSource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDaBVUQbWjw

Style Advertisement: Value Statements; Focused on accomplishments/impact on the great good; Belief statements; Formal

Notes: Answers questions by using rhetorical questions. Formal and professional. Focused on the greater good. Meaning/ significance/life having value and purpose.

“ We all spend far too much time at work for it not to have a deeper meaning.” Style Advertisement: Belief Statement; Focused on the greater good

Notes: Meaning/significance/life have value and purpose.

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