What C.E.O.'s Want in the Next President

Ah, if only government were run as efficiently as a business. It's a remarkably hardy political dream that flourishes in the wake of tales about incompetence, waste, and corruption in the public sector.

The invaluable experience of a corporate C.E.O. — with its emphasis on political savvy, risk-taking, and managerial skills — would translate well on Pennsylvania Avenue, the argument goes.

Sadly, President Bush, the first M.B.A. president, hasn't worked out so well. His business experience hasn't provided a good return on investment as the nation's chief executive (see largest deficit in history, cronyism, a weak dollar, economic decline, wasteful spending, etc.).

Now, C.E.O.'s themselves are weighing in on the issue.

Business experience may matter for Wall Street, they say, but they prefer to examine a candidate's philosophy when looking for the next president.

In a survey of 305 global senior executives, 63 percent said a "philosophy/platform" is the most important criterion for selecting the U.S. president. Executives who believe experience is invaluable for a president trailed far behind at 31 percent.

"Experience is key for every leader, whether leading a multinational company or a country," said Peter Felix, president of the Association of Executive Search Consultants, the career management service that conducted the survey.

"Yet when selecting a nation's president, executives recognize that, given the vast influence of a head of state, philosophy and platform are of overwhelming importance," Felix added.

The same group of chief executives, though, does value experience when selecting leaders in the business world. Fifty-six percent said experience is the most important factor when selecting a C.E.O., for example, while 39 percent chose "philosophy/platform."

Charisma, it seems, won't get you anywhere in either world. That criterion placed a distant third among those surveyed, with 6 percent saying charisma matters most when choosing a president and 5 percent saying it is a vital trait in a chief executive.

by Alfonso Serrano F.