Inside the Mind of Hiring with Dr. Mickey Fineberg: Business Psychologists Enabling the Selection and Preparation of Great Leaders: Presidential Politics (Uh Oh!): Perception, Perception, Perception!

As you all likely know, The President of the United States is the CEO of our country. I’ve tested a lot of CEO candidates for small to mid-sized companies, with annual sales ranging from $50M to $1.5B. These company sizes are obviously not as big as the U.S.A. However, I honestly asked myself if I could recommend President Trump as a hired gun CEO for any of my client companies. My honest answer is clearly no.

With all due respect to his supporters,  I just perceive President Trump as too toxic and divisive to run a typical private or public company. Believe me, I have recommended candidates I have not particularly liked for some clients based on objective testing and the client’s needs and goals at a particular time. But my perception of President Trump is just too polarizing and negative. I’d prefer someone who I and others would perceive as more grounded, principled, magnanimous, and inclusive, but also inquisitive, capable of systemic thought, adaptive, direct, and decisive. Some Charisma is preferred but not required. I wouldn’t want to have half of the workforce feeling engaged and excited, and the other half feeling angry, intimidated, excluded and passive aggressive. 

That said, no matter how I feel, there are millions of voters who perceive President Trump very positively: He has great charisma. He inspires people who have lost faith in government. He dominates the media with great persuasive skills. He challenges and explodes cultural norms in ways that excite many people. He can divert people’s attention on a dime from issues that could hurt him. His transactional policies attract many voters. He’s often quite humorous and clever in the ways he diminishes and denigrates his adversaries. He has great energy, drive and stamina. And he acts and makes decisions according to his best interests, his MAGA philosophy and the loyalty of his base, and doesn’t really care what others think (many admire that). In essence, he remains a formidable opponent for any Dem contender.

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