Which Leadership Traits Are Most Important for an Effective U.S. President?
It Depends on Respondent's Political Affiliation
MINNEAPOLIS, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Overall, trustworthiness tops the list of important leadership characteristics for U.S. presidential candidates, according to the Next National CEO survey conducted by global leadership solutions firm PDI Ninth House. However, a closer analysis of survey results shows large discrepancies among respondents with different political affiliations.
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Members of each political party chose a different trait as the most important:
- Democrat's first choice: Ensure a strong global position
- Republicans ranked it No. 10
- Independents ranked it No. 3
- Republican's first choice: Earn trust
- Democrats and Independents both ranked it No. 2
- Independent's first choice: Exercise financial discipline
- Democrats ranked it No. 10
- Republicans ranked it No. 2
"There is an enormous difference between the weight Democrats put on global positioning versus Republicans," said Dave Heine, executive vice president in charge of PDI Ninth House's board and c-suite offering. "That also holds true for Independents and Republicans compared to Democrats on the importance of exercising financial discipline. This tells us that voter turnout – and which candidate earns the Independents' vote – will be critical to election results."
"We also found it interesting that Democrats and Independents rated build partnerships and exercise diplomacy higher than Republicans, while Republicans and Independents rated design the federal government for success higher than Democrats," Heine added.
A listing of each political party's responses follows:
| Characteristic |
Overall |
Dem. |
Rep. |
Indep. |
|
| Earn trust |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
|
| Exercise financial discipline |
2 |
10 |
2 |
1 |
|
| Ensure a strong global position |
3 |
1 |
10 |
3 |
|
| Shape a vision for the future |
4 |
6 |
4 |
5 |
|
| Lead boldly |
5 |
4 |
9 |
7 |
|
| Build partnerships and exercise diplomacy |
6 |
5 |
12 |
4 |
|
| Build a strong team |
6 |
8 |
3 |
10 |
|
| Use wise judgment |
8 |
3 |
7 |
12 |
|
| Inspire others |
9 |
9 |
5 |
11 |
|
| Influence and negotiate |
10 |
6 |
11 |
6 |
|
| Drive execution |
11 |
11 |
7 |
8 |
|
| Design the federal government for success |
12 |
15 |
6 |
9 |
|
| Show resilience |
13 |
13 |
13 |
14 |
|
| Drive stakeholder success |
14 |
16 |
14 |
13 |
|
| Value and use diverse input |
15 |
12 |
16 |
15 |
|
| Adapt |
16 |
17 |
14 |
16 |
|
| Communicate with impact |
17 |
14 |
16 |
17 |
|
"The right competencies are critical for success throughout an organization, but most critically at the top," said Paul Storfer, director, talent frameworks for PDI Ninth House. "This survey is designed to let respondents use traits and characteristics similar to those we use to evaluate top business leaders as they choose the next U.S. president."
About the Survey
These are the latest results of the ongoing online survey. Nearly 500 people responded to the survey. The public is invited to visit its website where they are asked to indicate which seven success criteria out of 17 possibilities are most important for an effective U.S. president.
About PDI Ninth House
PDI Ninth House is the world's premier global leadership solutions company. For more than four decades, it has provided integrated assessment, development and coaching solutions around critical leadership and business challenges that most directly impact each leader's success and the success of their organization. PDI Ninth House serves thousands of clients on six continents, including half of the FORBES Global 100 firms and Interbrand Best Global Brands, and two-thirds of the FORTUNE 100 firms.
The company uses in-depth data and research to determine which characteristics are critical for success in top executive positions.
For more information, contact PDI Ninth House at 1.612.339.0927 (in the U.S. 1.800.633.4410) or visit its website at www.pdinh.com.
SOURCE PDI Ninth House
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