Tomorrow’s business leaders would overwhelmingly pick the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs for their executive dream team.
Business leaders of tomorrow think passion is more important to a CEO than education, according to a new study sponsored by Domo and CEO.com, an online resource for best practices in business management.
Other findings suggest we’ll see a lot more startups from this Steve Jobs admiring, entrepreneurial-minded generation, with over 40 percent intending to start a company and many even willing to quit school to do so.
It’s also a generation largely hooked on social media, with more than half using Facebook, Twitter, personal blogs, and LinkedIn regularly – in contrast to today’s CEOs, who largely avoid social media. See the infographic below for detailed results of the study.
The CEO of Tomorrow survey, which was created to explore the mindset and preferences of future executives and business leaders, also found that a majority of respondents believe that starting one’s own company is an essential experience in the life of any future CEO.
The survey includes responses from more than 2,400 students from 499 colleges and universities across the United States.
While education is clearly important to this group — 48% think that CEOs should have a graduate degree — only 3% of respondents believe it is the most vital characteristic that a CEO should have. Instead, passion ranked the highest at 40%, followed by leadership experience at 29%, and people skills at 14%.
One of the most entrepreneurial generations in history
The study also revealed that this is one of the most entrepreneurial generations in history. Fully 41% of respondents said they plan on starting their own company after graduation while 59% plan to work for an existing company.
What’s more, 20% would go so far as to drop out of school to start a business. All told, 57% agreed that entrepreneurial experience is crucial for the future success of any CEO.
“This survey offers a fascinating window into the thinking of tomorrow’s business leaders,” said Josh James, founder and CEO of Domo.
“The world is clearly changing, and this survey provides a glimpse into what business will look like in the not-too-distant future. This up-and-coming generation is more passionate than perhaps any other. But they are not interested in business as usual. They want to explore new and better ways to achieve their goals and enhance their careers. Current CEOs need to take note and create an environment within their own organizations that makes these future leaders feel welcome and gives them the opportunity to grow.”
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Tags: CEO.com, infographic, passion vs. education, social media, Steve Jobs, Tomorrow's business leaders survey
