Forty-three percent of business executives say a corporate CEO is better skilled to act as U.S. president than the typical politician while 22 percent of respondents say a CEO is equally skilled, according to a poll by the Korn/Ferry Institute, a global provider of organizational leadership, human capital development and talent management solutions.
Although most respondents support CEOs' abilities to serve, 74 percent of respondents say they wouldn't want to be president. Only 26 percent of respondents say they would be up to the challenge.
Another 56 percent of respondents agree maintaining the confidence of voters as president is more difficult than maintaining the support of shareholders and directors as CEO. Of the competencies noted by business executives as mission-critical to presidential effectiveness, 78 percent of respondents say negotiation and compromise, such as reflecting Washington's current partisanship environment, is a critical competency while they also say understanding others and conflict management are the most difficult to develop.
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According to one-third of respondents, a presidential candidate, regardless of party, must have superb negotiation skills to create a bipartisan spirit, and Congress strictly moves based on political party interests.
"Whether you're the CEO of a multinational company or the president of the United States, the foundational competencies of effective leadership are typically calibrated around the ability to deal with ambiguity, build effective teams and motivate others toward a common vision," says Ana Dutra, CEO of Korn/Ferry's leadership and talent consulting. "The proven ability to master these mission-critical leadership competencies is often what separates executives who rise to the top of the organization or the political official who gains prominence and stature in our nation's capital."
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