Your Corporate Horoscope

Executives come in all shapes and sizes, from the motivational leader to the entrepreneurial risk taker to the conservative money manager. Education, experience, and personality may contribute to these differences. Equally important could be the position of the sun in the sky on a person's birth date--the sun's place greatly influences character and temperament, say astrologers. Because of this, the 12 signs of the zodiac can be a tool for learning more about yourself and understanding your colleagues. "Knowing your sun sign won't make you a more sympathetic and intuitive person, but knowing your sign and the signs of people around you may help you make sense of others," explains Adrienne Warren, a consulting astrologer with JustUs & Associates in Issaquah, Wash. People tend to work well with others who share their sun signs. Despite this, it's often more productive to be paired with someone on the opposite end of the astrological chart. That way, the strengths remain but weaknesses balance out. With this in mind, here are the characteristics of business executives, according to their sun signs: Aries (Mar. 21-Apr. 19)--Entrepreneurial. Excel at recognizing opportunities and starting projects. In meetings, contribute ideas, enthusiasm, and a can-do attitude. But lack follow-through and can be oblivious to others' emotional needs. Work best with Libras. Taurus (Apr. 20-May 20)--Cautious, introspective, financially conservative. Stable, predictable, loyal. Ask questions to prevent mistakes. But hate change and slow to adapt to new technology and processes. Best counterpart: Scorpio. Gemini (May 21-June 20)--Able to work on several projects at once. Skilled communicators. In high-level meetings, can follow several lines of argument at once. Friendly managers who can motivate and delegate effectively. But energy makes them easily distracted and spread too thinly. Good partner: Sagittarius. Cancer (June 21-July 22)--Regardless of gender, maternal, sympathetic, compassionate, sensitive to others. Have an uncanny ability to sense latest trends. Contribute an intuitive sense of what will sell. But emotions tend to be up one minute and down the next. Stable counterpart: Capricorn. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)--High-energy leaders. Do everything on a grand scale. Happy to run the show. Expect appreciation--ego is as large as ambition. Generous and optimistic, but don't bother to get to know people as individuals. Won't follow through on details. Good tether: Aquarius. Virgo: (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)--Well-organized, detail-oriented, efficient. Work comes to them by default, but they can take on a phenomenal amount. Worriers. Often dwell on minutiae while missing big opportunities. Good counterpart: Pisces. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)--Politicians par excellence. Hate arguments, but know how to bring together disparate factions. Tend to avoid unpleasant issues, notorious fence-sitters. Good support person: Aries. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)--Work incredibly hard and can gather others up in their wake. Passionate, inspire by example and emotion. But emotions can also get in the way of common sense. Hard to read, secretive. Don't like opening the books to employees. Good work partner: Taurus. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)--Concerned with openness. Like freedom and honesty. Can be outspoken. Good at developing employees. Encouraging, generous to a fault. Most apt to suggest raises and profit sharing. But can be presumptuous and tactless. Tend to be distracted, overcommitted, and inattentive to detail. Geminis offer balance. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)--Pragmatic, organized, ambitious and bottom-line oriented. Not likely to get swept away by ideals. Very concerned with their professional reputation. Can be overly secretive. Tend to believe the end justifies the means. Good counterpart: Cancer. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)--Curious, communicative, somewhat detached. Great at communicating in large groups, but uncomfortable one-on-one. In a corporate round table, likely to consider long-range planning issues. Tend to be insensitive to the needs of others. Tend to lack imagination. Good administrative assistants: Leos. Pisces (Feb. 19-Mar. 20)--Diplomatic, compassionate, sympathetic, intuitive, easy-going. Easily adapt to different situations. Add human touch to corporate environment. Can be vague, impractical, hypersensitive, and unable to grasp details. Pair with Virgos.