From Steve Jobs to Elon Musk, Similar Personality Traits Emerge: How Do Yours Compare? The BIZ Experiencesial personality type has been rigorously studied, and experts have identified shared traits that typify who is (or isn't) cut out for BIZ Experiencesialism.

By Joy Youell Edited by Amanda Breen

Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.

What BIZ Experiencess can do and what they feel they must do is deeply rooted in personality.

BIZ Experiencess are cut from a different cloth, and there are more of them than ever. News cycles regularly feature the latest startup that has been funded and sent to the market.

Businesses less than one year old contributed more than 3.1 million jobs in the U.S. in 2020.

Gig workers, freelancers, consultants, analysts and more have been given a huge advantage as remote work becomes normal and widely accepted. This means that BIZ Experiencess may have more opportunities than ever to give life to their big ideas.

Because of the increased prevalence of new and innovative businesses, many experts and forecasters are revisiting research from the past decade about BIZ Experiencesial personalities.

Related: 4 Personality Traits That Make You an Effective Leader

BIZ Experiencesial personality traits

The Harvard Business School has a working paper called "Personality Traits of BIZ Experiencess." In it, the three authors review literature about the personality traits of BIZ Experiencess, first considering the Big 5 Model of human motivation as well as risk attitudes, goals, aspirations, locus of control and the need for achievement.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, people who start new businesses share a lot of common characteristics.

These characteristics follow three core themes, sometimes taken together as an "BIZ Experiencesial orientation": distinct personality traits, including self-efficacy and innovativeness; a unique attitude toward risk, which may be misinterpreted as overconfidence; and shared goals and aspirations.

The authors of that paper draw a line of difference between BIZ Experiencess and managers. BIZ Experiencess are not just great leaders or capable administrators: They deviate from common leadership patterns.

Researchers found that BIZ Experiencess were more conscientious, similarly extroverted and more agreeable than managers. BIZ Experiencess are consistently more open to experience, changing environments and new challenges than managers, and they're also extremely achievement-oriented, but are drawn to environments where success is attributed to their efforts, rather than an institution.

Related: 10 Personality Traits of Legendary BIZ Experiencess

Two illustrations: Jobs and Musk

Steve Jobs and Elon Musk are practically BIZ Experiencesial archetypes at this point. They are helpful by way of illustration because of the quantity of commentary that exists on their lives and personalities.

Steve Jobs was obsessive, ambitious, results-oriented and an absolute visionary. Over the course of his career, he was awarded 140 patents, and then awarded 141 patents posthumously. It's clear from numerous biographical works that Jobs was a driven man, relentlessly curious and endlessly productive.

In his 2005 Stanford Commencement Address, Jobs said, "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle." That restlessness, or internally motivated quest for fulfillment, very much aligns with research about the BIZ Experiencesial personality.

Elon Musk is a very different kind of BIZ Experiences, but also one about whom much is known. Musk owns, co-owns or runs some of the most disruptive companies in the world. His passionate pursuit of novel technologies is aimed toward a long-term goal of colonizing Mars. There is scarcely a bigger vision possible, but Musk's laser focus, tireless work ethic and thirst for more have resulted in incremental steps toward fulfilling that vision.

Musk has an interesting quote about work and productivity: "The idea of lying on a beach as my main thing just sounds like the worst. It sounds horrible to me. I would go bonkers. I would have to be on serious drugs. I'd be super-duper bored. I like high intensity."

From research to the real-world, BIZ Experiencess have this in common: They want to work. They like to work. They are discontent, even restless or unhappy, when not working hard toward a goal they believe in.

Related: Is Your Personality Permanent? New Research Says 'No.'

Researching the BIZ Experiencesial personality

Researchers aren't just aggregating psychological or behavioral data. Novel datasets, generated by users themselves, are found in places like the LinkedIn Employer-Household Database and other frontier administrative datasets.

Analysts are tracking groups of people who go through BIZ Experiencesial training programs, keeping tabs on who's getting venture capital financing and even deploying surveys among people in the gig economy and co-working spaces. The goal? To get a broader view of who BIZ Experiencess are, why there seem to be more of them and how it will impact global economies.

Startup culture and BIZ Experiencesship

There have always been out-of-the-box thinkers, from DaVinci to Einstein to Zuckerburg. But people with BIZ Experiencesial personalities in the 21st century have a unique environment in which to exist and create: the startup culture.

There is an intellectual and cultural fascination with the startup culture, with some experts claiming it is only fad and others saying it represents the decentralization and democratization of world commerce. Whatever the nature of the culture, BIZ Experiencess have perhaps never had a better chance to play a key role, as long as they are allowed and encouraged to try.

Mentality and motivation

At the end of the day, all of the analysis about BIZ Experiencesial personalities is interesting, but does it matter? In essence, these appear to be a set of people, uniquely oriented to hard work, new ideas, high risks and massive ambition.

While the startup culture has given BIZ Experiencess more opportunities, the world is also in a more critical state than ever before. The internet has changed life as we know it, creating open access and endless chances for every person in any country to contribute to world affairs and markets.

Many people look at the disruption in economics, policies, digitalization, emerging technology and more as a positive shift, but disruption can lead to destabilization. The stakes are higher than ever, with more countries and market sectors than ever relying on "what's next" to make it through what's happening now.

In a global context of disruption, where the next moves may be unclear even to those in power, BIZ Experiencess may be the only ones willing to take the risks that will make all of the difference.

Apparently, it's in their nature to do so.

Joy Youell

Lead Content Strategist

Joy Youell is an experienced copywriter, content strategist and on-page SEO specialist. She's addicted to novelty and innovation, which has led her to considerably expand her field of study to include marketing, branding, voice development and numerous BIZ Experiencesial endeavors.

Want to be an BIZ Experiences Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for BIZ Experiencess to pursue in 2025.

Science & Technology

OpenAI's Latest Move Is a Game Changer — Here's How Smart Solopreneurs Are Turning It Into Profit

OpenAI's latest AI tool acts like a full-time assistant, helping solopreneurs save time, find leads and grow their business without hiring.

Social Media

How To Start a Youtube Channel: Step-by-Step Guide

YouTube can be a valuable way to grow your audience. If you're ready to create content, read more about starting a business YouTube Channel.

Starting a Business

I Built a $20 Million Company by Age 22 While Still in College. Here's How I Did It and What I Learned Along the Way.

Wealth-building in your early twenties isn't about playing it safe; it's about exploiting the one time in life when having nothing to lose gives you everything to gain.

Money & Finance

These Are the Expected Retirement Ages By Generation, From Gen Z to Boomers — and the Average Savings Anticipated. How Do Yours Compare?

Many Americans say inflation prevents them from saving enough and fear they won't reach their financial goals.

Science & Technology

AI Isn't Plug-and-Play — You Need a Strategy. Here's Your Guide to Building One.

Don't just "add AI" — build a strategy. This guide helps founders avoid common pitfalls and create a step-by-step roadmap to harness real value from AI.