Who would make the best corporate chief executive?

February 26 2002 - A survey of 150 top executives at Fortune 1000 companies asked them to choose who would make the best CEO from the following: George W. Bush, Colin Powell, Bill Clinton, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Al Gore, Tony Blair or Rudy Giuliani.

The survey was conducted for the Council of Public Relations Firms, the trade association for the public relations industry. The main conclusions were that:

* Vice President Cheney and Secretary of State Powell were regarded as being the most suitable CEO-types, followed by President Bush and ex- New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Then came Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Bill Clinton came out badly from the survey (3% of the vote) but not as badly as former Vice President Al Gore who received zero votes!

* Almost one half (47%) of the executives surveyed singled out the ability to effectively communicate and motivate as the most important quality for a CEO to have in tough times like these. The next most important were decisiveness (31%) and being a visionary (15%). The other qualities surveyed, including being tireless and hard-working barely scored.

According to Kathy Cripps, president of the Council of Public Relations Firms:

"The survey shows that America's executives put a premium on the ability of corporate leaders to communicate company policy and give direction with clarity and conviction, and to energize and motivate managers and workers alike. In this difficult economic environment, effective communication, both internal and external, can inform, motivate, build trust and reassure."

Survey results:

1. Thinking about leadership, if you could select one of the following to be CEO of your company at this time, who would you choose?

Dick Cheney Colin Powell George Bush Rudy Giuliani Donald Rumsfeld Tony Blair Bill Clinton Al Gore Don't Know/Refused	23% 23% 15% 15%  9%  9%  3%  0%  2%

2. Which one of the following do you believe is the most important quality for a CEO in tough times?

Effective communicator and motivator Decisiveness Being a visionary Openness Tireless and hard-working Compassion/empathy Don't Know/Refused	47% 31% 15%  4%  2%  1%  0%

CEO Reputation

If these men were appointed as CEOs they would not have much time in which to prove themselves, according to another study conducted by consulting firm Burson-Marsteller in 2001. The study, Building CEO Capital showed that today's CEOs have just five earnings quarters on average to prove themselves.

"The job of chief executive officer is exceedingly complex and increasingly short-lived," said Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross, chief knowledge and research officer of Burson-Marsteller. The study, conducted with RoperASW, also found that new CEOs are given, on average, eight months to develop a strategic vision, 19 months to increase share price and 21 months to turn a company around."

And if they failed, why did they fail? "The inability to execute well" and "a lack of strategic vision" were cited as the main reasons.

The Burson-Marsteller study included 1,155 U.S. chief executives, senior managers, financial analysts, institutional investors, business media and government officials. It shows that almost half (48%) of an organization's reputation can be attributed to the reputation of its CEO - a significant increase on the 40% recorded in 1997. The companion survey in the United Kingdom matched the U.S. results with 49% attributed to the CEO.

"CEO reputation matters the world over," said Christopher Komisarjevsky, President and CEO of Burson-Marsteller worldwide. "Four years of research confirms that the CEO is arguably a company's most critical intangible asset driving the brand and the reputation of the company both internally and externally."

Credibility, ethical standards and good internal communications are viewed as the leading three drivers of CEO reputation - with credibility having increased in importance since the previous survey in 1997.

"Delivering on promises made is an integral part of how CEOs build and sustain reputation today," remarked Dr. Gaines-Ross. "Furthermore, in light of the events of September 11, good CEO communications was put to the highest test as most Americans first heard the tragic news in the workplace. Many employees had a chance to re-evaluate the effectiveness of their CEO's ability to communicate clearly and sincerely."

Five factors were cited as critical in building CEO Capital:

1. Being believable
2. Demanding high ethical standards
3. Communicating a clear vision inside the company
4. Maintaining a high quality top management team
5. Motivating and inspiring employees

Intriguingly, increasing shareholder wealth did not feature in the top five drivers for building CEO reputation.

"Financial performance is often considered a given and a price of entry for CEO favorability," says Gaines-Ross. "It is necessary but clearly not all there is to building an admirable CEO reputation."

CEO reputation influences the decisions of 'business influentials' to invest in a company (95%), believe in a company when it is under pressure from the media (94%), recommend it as a good alliance/merger partner (93%), and maintain confidence when the share price is lagging (92%). Also, business influentials are more likely to recommend an organization as a good place to work (88%) if the CEO is favorably regarded.

For those interested in CEO Capital and leadership issues facing CEOs see http://www.ceogo.com.