Sahel Analyst: ISSN 1117- 4668 Page 53 INFLUENCE OF PERSONAL QUALITIES OF CEOS ON FAMILY BUSINESS PERFORMANCE IN NIGERIA Paul, Vincent 1 Lamino, Abubakar Hauwa 2 Tende, Sam Baba Adamu 1 Abstract This study surveyed the influence of personal qualities of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) on the performance of family businesses in Nigeria. This area of research is important given that researchers in the area of behavioural finance and in management argue that CEOs characteristics such as assumption of control, willingness of successors to manage the business, level of entrepreneurship knowledge, understanding of successor on the competitive nature of business and legal knowledge of the business influence the way business problems are perceived and the decision making process. The numerous and growing challenges which businesses face, particularly in the area of operations ,cost-cutting and production efficiency makes the need to examine how CEOs personal qualities could be beneficial for firm performance. The personal characteristics for 1,215 CEOs across all states of the Nigeria federation were examined out of which only 859 respondents provided the required information. The study adopts survey research and the regression result shows that CEOs personal qualities have significant influence on business performance. Hence, the study recommends that successors to family business should be made to undergo training prior to succession; to enable them have relevant business experience in the operation of such business and be prepared character wise before taking over the family business. More so, to develop good approach in attending to their customers, family members and stakeholders since the study shows that these qualities influence business performance. Keywords: CEOs, Personal qualities, Performance, Family business, Leadership Introduction Business performance everywhere in the world gains ground, penetration and growth because of the personal qualities of the individual persons operating the business organisation. This situation can come to fulfilment when the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of various businesses display good sense of humour towards their individual customer, which help to pulls customers’ attention and 1 Department of Entrepreneurship Studies, Nasarawa State University, Keffi. v.paul599@gmail.com tende_sam@yahoo.com 2 Department of Business Administration, Nile University of Abuja, FCT. haulamabu@yahoo.com