• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, November 5, 2004

Majority of Executives Don't Want to be CEO

According to new research by Burson-Marsteller, the number of executives who don't want to be CEO has doubled since 2001, to 60% percent today versus 27% in 2001. Most executives have solidified their opinion about being CEO or not - only five percent are unsure compared to 26 percent in 2001.

Patrick Ford, chair of Burson-Marsteller's Corporate/Financial Practice, said "Due to shortened CEO tenure and intense media scrutiny, executives are more wary of the corner office." Ford added, "The economy depends on continuing to rebuild trust in the corner office among our next generation of leaders."

Research found that executives who had worked at a company that had undergone a crisis were more likely to decline the CEO post than executives who had never worked at a crisis-ridden company (64 percent versus 52 percent).

The good news for CEOs and would-be CEOs, however, is that the vast majority of executives have confidence in today's CEOs (87 percent), a 10 percent increase year-over-year.

Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross, Burson-Marsteller's chief knowledge & research officer and the study's architect, concludes that "This is a great vote of confidence for CEOs. Executives believe that the vast majority of CEOs are honest, hardworking individuals. The growing confidence in today's CEOs indicates that the corporate crises of yesteryear might just be fading in people's minds."

You can find out more here.