At the head of the 120 largest French companies, the sign of cancer is more represented than any of the eleven others. During our off-peak hours, we had fun compiling the dates of birth of the directors of companies listed on the SBF 120. It shows that nearly 14% of them were born between June 21 and July 23. Next come the scorpions, at 11.5%. Then tied, the scales, the fish and the bulls. At the bottom of the table, we find the Capricorns, the Sagittarians, the Virgins (less than 6%) and last but not the least, the Lions (4%).

Even if the analysis of esoteric statistics is not the hallmark of BFM Business, we nevertheless called Elizabeth Teissier, the astrologer who whispered in the ears of great leaders, starting with François Mitterrand . She explained to us that “some signs are more inclined to action, such as fire signs like Aries, Leo. The former like to lead and open new paths, while the latter like to rule their world”.

A finding that is therefore not really valid for our sample of bosses. The Leo appears there as the least represented sign whereas, according to the most famous of the astrologers, its natives would be made to rule their world: “They do not care the field from the moment when they rule”, underlines it. This assertion is true, it is true, a little better for the 24 Presidents that France has known since it became a Republic, but also the Prime Ministers since 1958, when this function was created. More than 1 in 5 are natives of Leo.

Elizabeth Teissier also underlines that the sign of Scorpio is over-represented among leaders, especially companies, because “like Aries, they are ambitious”. And to add, that “the Capricorn, who also likes to evolve, also tends to be boss.”

To bring water to his mill, the astrologer who was stared by French television in the 1970s, told us about the work of Michel Gauquelin . Initially skeptical about the influence of the stars on personalities and their destiny, this psychologist undertook a vast statistical survey in the 1950s to demonstrate his inanity. But surprise: he detects a correlation, which he called the “Mars Effect”. By studying the time and place of birth of a number of famous sportsmen, he realized that the red planet is in important places of their birth charts at a supposedly recurring rate.

The weight of recruiters’ beliefs?

The proof that the position of the planets would influence our professional destiny? Always not. Without even speaking of the doubts on the relevance of the sample used by Gauquelin, another explanation which one lets you judge of the verisimilitude has been put forward by the authors of “Freakonomics” . Mars predominates in a horoscope when children are born earlier in the year. However, they have an advantage during sports competitions, since they face opponents born in the same year as them, but often later. A child born in January will have more developed muscles and will have trained longer than one born in December. Hence the fact that they are more numerous to win the meetings, and to reach a high level.

But back to our bosses. In fact of influence of the stars, it is the beliefs of certain recruiters that weigh. Lyon headhunters interviewed -anonymously- by the Oasys firm in 2007 admitted that for 5% of them, the candidate’s astrological sign could weigh in the balance. 5% is not much. But there are only those who recognize it. The big names in recruiting have also repressed us all in the fashion: “we are serious people”.

Astrologers have assured us that they receive a large number of requests for hiring. Without ever revealing names. Catherine Lyr evokes “the sectors of luxury, construction, finance and new technologies”. And people who “come on the sly, call to make sure they don’t meet anyone when they arrive,” said Véronique Cauquil, astrologer in Nice. To establish the astral chart of a candidate for a position without him suspecting it, some have their trick. “It is very easy to call a town hall or a hospital pretending to be the cousin who wants to make a surprise for a birthday, and thus obtain birth times,” said one of them.

33% of French people are sensitive to astrology

It must be said that since 1993, the law prohibits the “recourse to methods with random results, such as astrology, whose predictive validity from the point of view of fitness for use is by no means established”.