can a business executive ever be a successful president?

[rehmwa 2]

billvon

>>If they lead by example, and by seeking and building teams, there's a better chance.

So a good CEO could make a good president, but a bad CEO would probably make a bad president?

Wendy is such a rabble rouser

your implication that a team builder is automatically a better leader than than one that commands is not always true.

A good leader is flexible and uses whatever leadership style is needed to get the job done. That's a bit different than Wendy's comment that team builder is a better presidential candidate than a commander (I agree for working with congress and foreign relations mostly).

I'd posit that the President needs to be able to be both, depending on what the issue, department, mission is. Ability to be an excellent leader in any style is what's needed. (With two candidates that too quickly default to vindictive dictator, we are screwed).


I've seen some successful CEOs that are very good at adapting to needs. I've also seen successful CEOs that force the company culture to adapt to their personal comfort zone of leadership. I'd rather work for the first kind. I'd insist the president be the first kind or he'd fail.

The only generalization I'm really comfortable with, is that the adaptive kind tend to not have huge egos (again, we're screwed) - and the CEOs that are HUGELY successful seem to be the 2nd kind - so it's a bit of a flipflop and hard to define..

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Rstanley0312 1]

billvon

Quote

My question here goes beyond just Donald Trump but I'm asking whether any CEO or other business executive could be a good president without first having a lot of prior political experience in less powerful roles.

Sure. You can't be a successful CEO of a large company without having a lot of political experience - and a CEO brings a somewhat different skill set to the job, which could be useful in some cases.

Agree with this but I think it is important they have experience in international affairs as well. I actually prefer executive experience which is why I am normally partial to governors.

p.s. didn't I lose a bet to you Bill?

Life is all about ass....either you're kicking it, kissing it, working it off, or trying to get a piece of it.
Muff Brother #4382 Dudeist Skydiver #000
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[billvon 3,119]

>Agree with this but I think it is important they have experience in international
>affairs as well. I actually prefer executive experience which is why I am normally
>partial to governors.

Although governors typically don't get as much experience with international affairs.

There's not going to be any one ideal candidate out there. Business executives _can_ be good candidates; to your point, a CEO of a large multinational corporation with a few years of experience as a governor could make a pretty good president.

>didn't I lose a bet to you Bill?

Don't think so.

[Rstanley0312 1]

billvon

>Agree with this but I think it is important they have experience in international
>affairs as well. I actually prefer executive experience which is why I am normally
>partial to governors.

Although governors typically don't get as much experience with international affairs.

There's not going to be any one ideal candidate out there. Business executives _can_ be good candidates; to your point, a CEO of a large multinational corporation with a few years of experience as a governor could make a pretty good president.

>didn't I lose a bet to you Bill?

Don't think so.

Very true in regards to the international experience.

I bet someone the orange one would not get the GOP nod. It was a bet for $100 to the charity of our choice. I thought it was you.

Life is all about ass....either you're kicking it, kissing it, working it off, or trying to get a piece of it.
Muff Brother #4382 Dudeist Skydiver #000
www.fundraiseadventure.com

[kelpdiver 2]

wmw999

If the executive leads by commanding, I'm not sure he or she can do a good job. Gummint just doesn't obey like scared employees do.

If they lead by example, and by seeking and building teams, there's a better chance.

There may be a window of opportunity - the CEO that is on the tail end of the growth cycle of the big company, but before going to the sustain phase and getting too confident and set in ways. Once the empire is formed, they don't hear 'no' a lot. And they can afford to be wrong and stick to it.

Arthur Blank of Home Depot - someone that went from literally a single store to an empire - at some point there had to be a great candidate. Perhaps the Southwest founder. I'm less convinced by Perot - his empire was built on a lot of service contracts for sticky customers (including government, iirc). Not quite the same competitive pressures to do right by the customer.

[SivaGanesha 2]

HapHazard

Truman, Coolidge, Hoover, Harding, Lincoln - would you call those bad presidents?

I don't understand--I'm asking about someone who went DIRECTLY from a position as a business executive (and I mean a CEO not a lawyer) to the Oval Office. All of the above had significant political experience before becoming president. Many presidents have had experience in the private sector before entering public life--but all or almost all had to serve an apprenticeship in lower level roles in politics before being considered serious presidential candidates. They didn't move directly from CEO to POTUS. They had to take on stepping stone roles--Governor, Congress, Senate, Cabinet, etc--first.

Bloomberg--in going directly from CEO of Bloomberg to NYC mayor--is indeed probably the closest example to what I'm asking for. But even Bloomberg wasn't seriously considered as a potential presidential candidate until first doing a stint as NYC mayor. NYC mayor is clearly a powerful role but it is still a notch or two below the presidency.

"It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

[gowlerk 2,277]

I think that POTUS is such a unique job that no one can be fully prepared or trained for it. The job calls for such a blend of intelligence, judgement, political skills, management skill, being an icon and symbol, leader within an organization and through media to the country and even the world, and a host of skills and qualities that no one person could excel at all of them.

A successful business person has as good a chance of being a successful POTUS as any other highly motivated skilled leader.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[SivaGanesha 2]

peek

Can a former actor ever be a successful president?

(Sorry, I'm going to be a trouble maker and answer the question with another question.)

I'm asking about direct transitions so--no. Reagan didn't go directly from actor to president. He was Governor of California first. The career path of Actor->Governor of California->President is a fairly natural one because actors/actresses are very much public figures--as are governors and presidents--and Governor of California is a natural stepping stone role because of the film industry's association with California. But going directly from Actor->President would make a lot less sense.

I suspect that Schwarzenegger would also have gone from Actor to Governor of CA to President had he been qualified constitutionally to be POTUS.

"It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

[billvon 3,119]

>A successful business person has as good a chance of being a successful POTUS as
>any other highly motivated skilled leader.

IF you added some political experience (doesn't have to be much, or even high profile) I would agree. Experience does matter.

Note that in many cases people who are _primarily_ business people also have political experience - on a town council, or on a school board, or as a state representative. For example, Todd Russ is both a bank CEO and a state representative in Oklahoma.

[kelpdiver 2]

SivaGanesha

I suspect that Schwarzenegger would also have gone from Actor to Governor of CA to President had he been qualified constitutionally to be POTUS.

Arnold was not terribly successful as governor, though I blame bad term limit policy more than him or any other potential option (I still regret not paying the money to be part of the hundreds of candidates in the recall). But Jerry Brown showed the difference between an experienced politician and one with none at all. Whether you hate Moonbeam's politics or not, the man knows how to negotiate and enact policy in a polarized Sacramento.

Arnold put forth some intelligent proposals, particularly around rainy day reserves, but couldn't get anything implemented. We moved ahead on inertia and the improving economy.