Why First-Born Children Are Better Leaders

The concept of a “born leader” seems so fanciful and clichéd that it belongs on the cover of a bad business book, or in a quote from a glib cable news commentator. But it turns out that born leaders are real, and researchers have discovered a key variable that isn’t genes, parents, or peers. It’s birth order.

First-born children are 30 percent more likely to be CEOs or politicians, according to a by several economists, Sandra E.