New Survey Of CEOs Finds Enhancing Corporate Reputation Is Number One Demonstration Of Leadership
Capgemini Survey Finds “Business Leaders of Tomorrow” Are More Likely to be Homegrown Talent than Lateral Hires or Come from Outside the Industry
October 29, 2004 - New York, NY
As leading businesses overcome sometimes competing demands of global competition, regulatory scrutiny and changing consumer demands to drive topline growth in 2004, Capgemini U.S. LLC, a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing, found that effective corporate leadership can drive innovation, increased sales, stock price valuations, and improve relationships with customers and suppliers. According to a Capgemini pulse survey of more than 100 senior executives attending the inaugural CNBC/Wall Street Journal’s Executive Leadership Awards gala, nearly half (47%) said “enhancing corporate reputation” was the number one demonstration of leadership by a new CEO, followed by 15% who said “effective crisis management” and another 14% who answered “turnaround in employee morale.”
Nearly half of the respondents (48%) indicated they plan to find the ‘business leader of the future’ for their organization a decade from now from “someone on their leadership team today,” compared to only 17% who believe it will be “a new hire today who will grow up inside the company.” Another three in ten (31%) would choose “someone outside the industry with a proven track record of success.” In addition, three in ten (29%) respondents indicate that a CEO’s leadership style and tone most impacts the operations function, while one-quarter (23%) point to marketing and one in five (20%) chose the finance function.
“The pulse survey confirms, headlines to the contrary, that effective CEOs take their roles as chief communicator, innovator and motivator very seriously as their employees, customers and investors size up their commitment to effective leadership every day,” said Chell Smith, North America Chief Executive Officer at Capgemini. “Capgemini works with our clients to help drive a transformation agenda throughout the enterprise to target value, mitigate risk, optimize capabilities and align the organization in order to drive cost and performance leadership, but without buy-in from the CEO, the best-laid plans will not achieve their desired end.
Other findings included:
- CEO respondents ranked the following five traits in terms of their order of importance in being an effective leader: consensus building, reputation inside the industry, media savvy, international experience and government experience.
- The top two benefits for a company whose CEO has a reputation as an innovator is “competitive advantage and differentiation” (54%) and “improved employee morale and recruitment” (22%)
About the CNBC/Wall Street Journal Executive Leadership Awards
Chell Smith was one of the presenters of the inaugural CNBC/Wall Street Journal Executive Leadership Awards created to honor our nation’s leaders in business, a select group of CEOs from the Harris Poll's top 50 companies nominated 16 CEOs to receive the awards in four categories, and the winners were:
- Overall Executive Leadership: A.G. Lafley, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, Proctor & Gamble Company
- Leader in Innovation: Steven P. Jobs, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Apple Computer Inc.
- Leader in Bsuiness Practices: Kenneth I. Chenault, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, American Express Company
- Business Leader of the Future: Meg Whitman, President and Chief Executive Officer, eBay
Upon reviewing the nominations, a judging panel comprised of Louis Gerstner, retired IBM chairman and CEO; Dean Patrick Harker, Wharton School; Humphrey Taylor, Chairman of The Harris Poll; Sheila Wellington, former President of Catalyst and Professor at New York University's Stern School of Business; and Mike Krzyzewski, Men's basketball coach, Duke University selected four world-renown recipients. The recipients were announced at the Gala Awards Dinner yesterday at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York, with co-emcees Maria Bartiromo, anchor of "Closing Bell” and host of the syndicated program “The Wall Street Journal Report with Maria Bartiromo,” and CNBC's John Fugelsang, Co-host of CNBC's “McEnroe.”
View the complete survey results here. For more information on CNBC/Wall Street Journal Executive Leadership Awards, visit http://www.cnbcawards.com/.
About Capgemini
Capgemini, one of the world's foremost providers of Consulting, Technology and Outsourcing services, has a unique way of working with its clients, which it calls the Collaborative Business Experience. Through commitment to mutual success and the achievement of tangible value, the company helps businesses and governments implement growth and transformation strategies, leverage technology, and thrive through the power of collaboration. Known as Cap Gemini Ernst & Young until April 15, 2004, Capgemini employs approximately 55,000 people worldwide and reported 2003 global revenues of 5.754 billion euros. More information about individual service lines, offices and research is available at http://www.us.capgemini.com/.
Contacts:
John Patterson - Capgemini
john.j.patterson@capgemini.com
(917) 934-8735
