Experience More Important in Corner Office Than Oval Office

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Results from a survey of 305 global senior executives reveal that experience is a more important criterion in selecting a CEO than in selecting the next President of the United States. The survey was conducted March 7-April 18, 2008, by BlueSteps, the career management service of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).

Full results from the survey reveal:

"Which of the following do you believe should be the most important criterion in selecting the U.S. President in this year's election?”

Experience – 31%

Charisma – 6%

Philosophy/platform – 63%

"Given the current business environment, which of the following criterion should be most important in selecting a CEO?”

Experience – 56%

Philosophy/platform – 39%

Charisma – 5%

"Experience is key for every leader, whether leading a multinational company or a country,” notes AESC president Peter Felix. "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 continues, "Many successful high-profile CEOs like Lawrence Bossidy maintain that the ability to execute is the key to a company's success, and experience is key to building execution skills. Experience, combined with a winning philosophy, of course, equates to the talent that every organization should be searching for.”

Survey respondents were from the following regions: America, 69%; Europe, Middle East, Africa, 23%; Asia Pacific, 8%.