If the President Had a Job Benchmark

Teams May be Divided on Which Qualities President Should Possess

As the presidential campaign kicks into high gear, discussions have begun about who would make the best candidate for each party.

Some argue a president needs to be assertive in all situations. Other argue there is a need for futuristic thinking. Many feel the new president needs to be someone who is diplomatic and can hear and respond to both sides of an argument.

These types of discussions also happen in the workplace, especially as a company hires a new prominent executive. Teams may be divided on exactly what qualities that person should possess.

This is why we believe in our job benchmark process so much. It gives an unbiased way to match the behaviors, skills and driving forces a person will need to be successful at the job to the job itself.

We took a look at what would happen if we applied our job benchmark to arguably the most important job in America: the president of the United States. The benchmark, in my opinion, would look like this:

Starting with the behaviors, the top three the American people need to look for is urgency, versatility and frequent change. These behaviors fit well, because we need him or her to act quickly when necessary, and to be versatile to changes.

The motivators, with Utilitarian rising to the top, are a good fit because the president must be able to prioritize and understand the impact of his or her decisions.

Individualistic and Theoretical are high on the list because a president needs to have a strong desire to be a leader, but also actively seek out new information from credible sources.

As for the set of competencies listed above, the American people want to see a president who demonstrates personal accountability for his or her actions and the ability to use diplomacy and personal relationships to build good connections globally.

I had the initial thought that this benchmark could work well for future presidential candidate elections.

However, my fellow Solutions Consultant, Todd Fox pointed out to me that unlike any other type of job we benchmark, the U.S. presidency would require a different benchmark each time someone is being elected.

Why? The benchmark would need to change fluidly depending on the status of the country; we would need to pick a style that fits the action required.

For example, if we need major changes and aggressive action to happen, we might go for a High D. If we need to stay on course with a long-term plan and follow through over a period of time, a High S might be a better pick.

So, keep in mind when doing benchmarks for your own clients that, just like people change over time, jobs can change, too. When working with clients, keep in mind that, as businesses evolve and change, so should the job.

Do you agree with this benchmark of the president? What other factors might need to be considered in a leader before election time?