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| Jeffrey Immelt. Photo (c) Eric Piermont / AFP / Getty Images, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal |
Like almost everyone I know, I find it impossible to be
inspired or confident by the choice of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump as
presidential nominees this year.
Rather than dwell on these two candidates (as I have in many
other posts), I’d rather start with a clean slate and brainstorm who I would be
willing to vote for.
What am I looking for
in a President?
·
At least 30 years of clear-headed experience and
achievement, ideally spanning both the private and public sectors;
·
A rational, post-ideological, non-partisan
approach towards governance;
·
The ability to analyse root causes and effects,
and frame complex issues into a manageable structure;
·
Someone combining systems thinking with real
leadership in the real world, not an ivory tower or an ideological wet dream (I’m
thinking of you here, Ted Cruz);
·
The ability to delegate and manage teams in a
complex operating environment;
·
The ability to make hard decisions;
·
Health and stamina: Able to work long hours
under pressure;
·
A strong sense of personal ethics;
·
Ideally, a self-made man or woman, rather than
someone of inherited wealth;
·
A commitment to serving the greater good while
(a) upholding the Constitution and laws of the United States, and (b) ensuring
that minority interests are protected;
·
The ability to work across party lines;
·
An internationalist agenda; a willingness to
work with international organisations and allies in a meaningful and realistic
manner;
·
A skepticism of easy slogans and sound bytes; an
understanding that there are no easy solutions (or at least, few that are
sustainable), and that complex solutions demand hard work, good planning and real
sacrifice;
·
Knowledge of at least one foreign language and
some international experience;
·
Capability to set objectives and monitor
results;
·
A strong knowledge of history (and reality).
Top 5 Picks
So here is my pick, in order of preference.
1. Jeffrey Immelt
CEO of General Electric. If there is one person who knows
how the American and global economy works across all sectors, including
manufacturing, finance and services, it’s Jeff Immelt. Incredible line
experience in the private sector. Incredible project management skills.
Experience in managing teams in the most complex operating environments
possible. By far the strongest, multi-sectoral international experience of any
candidate: GE is working in over 170 countries. Critically aware of the need
for innovation and competitiveness, including the need to develop and retain
brilliant scientists, investors, and salespeople. Vast finance experience. Vast
experience in complex turn-around management in complex competitive situations,
which is exactly what America needs right now. Vast operational experience in
value curve migration and new technology integration. He is more humble than
his predecessor, “Neutron Jack” Welch. Although there has been a lot of
turbulence at GE, this reflects the changing economy and multiple business cycles rather than poor
leadership. The only negative point is that he has no public sector experience
in the United States. But he certainly knows how government works, at all
levels (Federal, State, Local). And he has worked with public sector officials
of both parties for over 30 years now. I would vote for Immelt immediately and
unreservedly, assuming he follows a centrist platform.
2. Michael Bloomberg
Former Mayor of New York City; founder of Bloomberg LLC. A
real innovator; a very accomplished track record in New York City. A strong mix
of private and public sector experience, although the latter is at the
municipal, not the national level. Then again, it’s New York City. Hard to
think of a more difficult global city to manage in the United States today. An
internationalist and realist. A financial engineer who can hopefully find ways
to deal with America’s burgeoning public debt. I would vote for Bloomberg
immediately and unreservedly. I’d love to see him remodeling the Oval Office
into a bullpen. Or just relocating where he does business. The only reason he’s
second on this list is his age.
3. John Kerry
Decorated war veteran. Senator from Massachussets. Secretary
of State. One of the most level-headed public servants America has, even if he
can’t always express himself quite so well. This is someone who has literally
bled for America. He knows how the system works at the state and federal level.
An added bonus is his international background. One issue against him is his
lack of financial / economics experience. A second issue is whether he can say
no at the right time. He ran against George W. Bush in 2004 and lost, but
continued in public service. He would be a safe pair of hands, but would need
strong backstopping at Treasury and Commerce, and should not be beholden to
Democratic party interests.
4. Colin Powell
Soldier, working his way up to 4* General and Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Secretary of State in the George W. Bush
administration. His greatest failure is his acceptance of the Iraqi WMD
fiction. I believe he was bamboozled, and I believe he will not make the same
mistake twice. An inspirational figure: a minority who has pulled himself up by
his bootstraps to the highest offices in America by virtue of service. Only two
issues against him: (a) lack of financial and economics sector experience, and
(b) possibly not willing to rock the boat too much. Other than these points,
this is a vastly superior candidate to anyone currently in the race.
5. Bill Gates
Founder of Microsoft, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation. After co-writing the operating system that everyone loves to
hate, Bill Gates has spent 20 years donating his fortune to doing very
beneficial policy- and science-based public service through his Foundation. My
one worry is that he has no line management experience in the public sector,
and would probably find this exasperating. He would also probably have
difficulty running a campaign and relating to at least 50% of voters. But it’s
difficult to think of a more intelligent systems thinker and futurist with a
real track record of significant scale.
No Female Candidates
My one regret here is that I haven’t been able to identify
any female candidates for President with equivalent seniority, ethics and
experience. Anne-Marie Slaughter would be a strong choice, but she does not
have the seniority and breadth of experience that the others on this list do.
Carly Fiorina and Meg Ryan turned out to be less than stellar. Probably, I
don’t know enough others. Any suggestions in this area would be very welcome.
Plus one Wild Card
Bruce Springsteen
I know. You’re probably thinking WTF!? But think about it.
He’s 66 years old, and he still plays 4 hour live gigs on tour. He probably
knows more about the working class and the average American than anyone else on
this list. He’s pulled himself up by his bootstraps and has been composing and
singing inspiring music for nearly 50 years now. He’s authentic. He’s
artistically and financially successful. He’s been in every single US state and
all over the world. We wouldn't have to live through any more navy blue suits and
red ties and teleprompters. Sure, he has no public sector experience. He would
need a really strong executive team to get him through the complex stuff. But
he has great instincts and ethics. This is probably one guy you could trust not
to lie to you on the campaign trail, or anywhere else. The only downside of
electing him is that the E-Street Band would have to stop playing. If you gave
me the choice of The Boss on November 8th, I would vote for him over
Hillary or Donald immediately.
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