Do Middle Siblings Make the Best Founders?

Hear me out — middle siblings have an edge when it comes to founding successful companies. And typically, just an edge in general. Full disclaimer: I am a middle child who isn't a founder but works with them frequently...

Which means I speak from semi-experience when I say stereotypes are stereotypes, but some middle-child generalizations hold up in this context. My take: growing up as the in-between sibling breeds higher levels of EQ, resilience, and drive.

This is a working hypothesis, but one that's actually supported by data. Research from Catherine Salmon and Katrin Schumann, authors of The Secret Power of Middle Children, shows that middle siblings are more likely to be trailblazers, accounting for 52% of U.S. presidents and 46% of Nobel Prize winners.

Here are my thoughts on why:

• Emotional and Social Intelligence:?Being stuck in the middle requires navigating—and adapting to—family dynamics and mediating conflicts, which sharpens one's ability to empathize, read social cues, understand group dynamics, and communicate and collaborate effectively early on.
• Independence and Intrinsic Motivation:?The dark cloud of feeling overlooked or neglected comes with a silver lining of developing a strong sense of independence and self-reliance. That intrinsic motivation translates into a self-starting attitude and a resilient, action-oriented mindset.
• Competitiveness: Middle siblings have chips on their shoulders. The attention they feel they didn't receive growing up may breed some resentfulness, but it also fosters fire in the belly and tenacity.

Real-world examples of middle children who went on to build some pretty major empires include:

• Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft
• Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon
• Steve Case, Co-founder of AOL and Revolution (woo!)
• Meg Whitman, CEO of HP and eBay
• Mark Zuckerberg, Co-founder of Facebook
• Martha Stewart, Founder of Martha Stewart Living
• Reid Hoffman, Co-founder of LinkedIn

The list goes on and on.

These traits aren't universal to all middle children. And I am, of course, biased. But birth order theory is definitely an interesting hypothetical factor in the context of founder success.

Oldest and youngest siblings, I'm not counting you out. I would love to hear counterpoints from team first and lastborn.

And, idk what to even say about all you only children… (jk)