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The most successful and effective leaders--from high school student council to business offices large and small to the halls of government--have two dominant personality traits: They are extroverted and conscientious.

That's the word from Dr. Timothy Judge, a professor of business at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, who conducted a meta-analysis of previous research to determine which of the five big personality traits were most important for leadership effectiveness, reports Business Insider Australia.

These are five big personality traits:
1. Openness to experience: inventive and curious vs. consistent and cautious
2. Conscientiousness: efficient and organized vs. easy-going and careless
3. Extroversion: outgoing and energetic vs. solitary and reserved
4. Agreeableness: friendly and compassionate vs. analytical and detached
5. Neuroticism: sensitive and nervous vs. secure and confident

The Notre Dame team found that extroversion is the top predictor of great leadership, followed by conscientiousness. Other research has shown that conscientiousness is the only major personality trait that consistently predicts success, mostly because highly conscientious individuals know how to set and then meet goals.

But do note this: If you're an introvert, you can still rise to the top and be an excellent leader. In fact, many believe that introverts are more exceptional bosses than extroverts because they are better listeners and tend to be more thoughtful.

The takeaway: If extroverts are more likely to be chosen as leaders and you want to be a leader, work on your social skills in the work place. You don't need to change your personality (if that's even possible), but try to more fully develop the social qualities you already have. And paying close attention to work will help, too!

--From the Editors at Netscape