Profiles Caribbean Inc.

It is Possible: A Study of Barbados’ Top Business Executives November 2010

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In a recent television interview, Mr. Bill Gates, one of the world’s wealthiest business executives and outstanding entrepreneurs said “If you want something to be excellent, it cannot go unmeasured.” (September 2010). It is this quote that inspired Profiles Caribbean Inc. to conduct a study involving some of the leading entrepreneurs in Barbados to examine the shared characteristics that would have contributed to their success. A benchmark or template would then be created that can be used to assist aspiring and existing entrepreneurs and other business executives in their continued growth and development. This initiative is also supported by the need for Barbados to develop a strong entrepreneurial culture and a sustainable leadership pipeline among its business executives. Nine (9) top entrepreneurs cum business executives were invited to complete an online psychometric assessment called the ProfileXT which focused on their Thinking Style, Behavioural Traits and Occupational Interests. This assessment is designed for business and has been widely used locally, regionally and internationally for well over ten (10 years). It has also gone through the scrutiny of regular and recent validation processes to ensure that the instrument remains objective and reliable. The scores of the participants on the various scales being measured in the assessment are featured on a sten (standard ten) graph, an analysis of those scores is conducted to reveal the shared characteristics and a success pattern or template is then developed. It is expected that the initial template developed will be continually updated each year as other business executives participate in the program. Entrepreneurs and business executives can be assessed online and their profile matched against the template to give them a very good understanding of themselves from a business