Second annual route to the top: on the cusp of change - survey on CEO career path - includes profiles of CEOs

Chief Executive, The, Jan-Feb, 1997 by Tom Neff, Dayton Ogden, Barbara Ettore

NOW AND SOON

Going forward, new influences will continue to shape and add to the skill set of the future CEO. In fact, some elements looked upon today as exceptions may soon prove the role. As globalization gains momentum, fluency in foreign languages will be advantageous for top-level executives. Already, a number of American companies have filled the CEO slot with a foreign-born executive, which indicates that multi-lingual skills and a multi-cultural background are gaining weight - a trend that may only accelerate as international directors gain seats on corporate boards. The international arena will also continue to add complexity to the financial side of business, requiring a stronger grasp of the global financial markets and the economics that influence it.

As organizations flatten to fewer levels and CEOs deal more directly with employees, interpersonal skills are likely to weigh in more heavily in leadership selection. Internet familiarity and comfort with emerging technologies, already viewed as important today, will be a requirement for CEOs in the future.

Corporation leaders will also need to be schooled in the delicate art of managing the public image of a company - and its leader. This will be a more essential attribute for CEOs of large companies, where executives are brought into the limelight by news coverage and subjected to shareholder scrutiny. These new "CEO celebrities" must learn to weather public criticism, as well as to walk a corporate tightrope between the natural inclination to gain personal fame with its concomitant rewards and the overriding importance of bolstering the company's image and keeping its name in the forefront.

What other attributes will characterize tomorrow's CEO? Some traits, such as the ability to develop and articulate a well-formulated vision, are timeless. The art of strengthening an enterprise through strategic deal-making, creating innovative business structures, looking beyond old boundaries, and embracing change are all attributes that will enable the CEO of tomorrow to put his or her ideas into action.

THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS

"The Partner" Lucio A. Noto, Chairman, President, and CEO of Mobil

Representing a traditional, albeit vanishing breed of CEO, Lucio Note has spent his entire career with a single company, joining Mobil Oil back in 1962. In posts that included serving as president of Mobil Saudi Arabia and CFO of Mobil Corp., Note cultivated finance, operations, and international savvy. After restructuring Mobil to reduce expenses and workforce, he is now combining forces with a major competitor, British Petroleum, to bring refining and marketing operations to Europe. On the surface, Noto's career may look like a fast inside track, but it was actually field experience and proven success in building up business partners that made him the candidate for the top job.

"The Troubleshooter" James B. Adamson, CEO of Flagstar Companies

In winning the CEO post at Flagstar, owner of Denny's and other restaurant chains, in February 1995, Adamson jumped ship from Burger King, where he had been CEO since 1993. At Burger King he took the helm of a corporation adrift and afflicted with franchise owners rebelling against the company's U.K.-based parent company. His background in overcoming these challenges positioned him for the role of CEO at Flagstar, where Johnson inherited a company not only awash in red ink, but also embroiled in a high-profile racial discrimination suit. After settling the action and instituting major changes in management training, Adamson went on to redirect and refocus Flagstar. As lawsuits and other public actions against corporations escalate, this ability to handle a variety of threatening situations and allegations is crucial.