Have YOU got what it takes to be the boss?

Have you ever wondered if you’ve got what it takes to get to the top in business? Forget trying to work your way up the ladder – just draw an ‘E’ on your forehead, says Sarah Barns for MailOnline.

American professors Adam Galinsky and Maurice Schweitzer have devised the five-second ‘E’ trick, which they believe separates those who are boss material from those who aren’t. 

The experiment involves participants tracing the capital letter ‘E’ on their forehead. Those who write it so it makes sense to themselves are said to be self-orientated – a trait common in powerful figures.

Galinsky and Schweitzer, who both attended and lecture at prestigious business schools in the US, have published their findings in new business book, Friend & Foe: When To Cooperate, When To Compete, And How To Succeed At Both.

To conduct the easy test, participants should trace the capital letter ‘E’ on their foreheads, using their finger, without thinking about it. There are two options: the letter can be written so it makes sense only to themselves (but reversed for onlookers), or so it would appear the right way around to others. The tendency to write an ‘E-to-self’ is said to dramatically increase the more senior role held in the workplace.

According to the research, their is a gender imbalance in results with women much more likely to ’E-to-others’. This shows they are more likely to take into account other people’s perspectives. However, according to the authors, this is because women generally have ‘less power’, and that if they were given the same amount of power, the gender differences would be erased.

In another test the authors also randomly assigned a group of people the role of boss or employee. They then gave them the chance to buy chocolates for themselves or others. The bosses bought themselves an average of 32 chocolates and only 11 for other people. Other employees were far more generous, with the ratios reversed.

In conclusion, to succeed – sharpen your claws.

Read the full story here: http://goo.gl/2OrzEh