Personality and Career Development

Abstract

To determine whether gender is an important variable in management success, a survey of male and female general managers explored which personality traits these individuals believe contributed to their own career development The survey showed that male and female managers' self-reports conform only marginally to stereotypes of gender-linked characteristics. In regard to characteristics generally associated with women, compassion and flexibility were reported equally by the two groups, while women described themselves as enthusiastic more often than did the men. Regarding typically male traits, about the same percentage of men and women reported that their goal orientation contributed to their career advancement, while a smaller percentage of men than women described their behavior as ambitious. The high number of all respondents who believe that honesty and integrity contributed significantly to career advancement indicates that, in the end, success may be foremost a matter of character, not gender.