Johns Hopkins’ neuroscience professor professor David J. Linden writing in the New York Times, postulates that an addictive personality may be essential for a leader. While intelligence, creativity, wisdom and charisma may be the qualities typically associated with a leader, the psychological profiles of today’s top entrepreneurs like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Oracle’s Larry Ellison and Apple’s Steve Jobs show a compulsion for risk-taking. This is the same trait found in gambling, alcohol, sex and/or drugs addicts.
Studies have shown that uncertainty is chemically rewarding in the brains of both CEOs and drug addicts. The obsessive personality traits found in addicts can be effectively utilized in the workplace. This attribute is quite useful in high-risk business ventures.
SOURCE: NY Times
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