By Tony Hallett, 2 July 2004 16:00
NEWS Marketing professionals make better business leaders than technologists - quite possibly because they exhibit more "emotional intelligence".
A survey of 1,000 UK business leaders taken in advance of a major business leadership conference this autumn asked a mix of high-level executives 'Which profession makes the best business leaders?'
Marketers came first on 38 per cent, sales professionals second on 21, engineers third on 18 and HT and accountants fourth and fifth on 13 and 10 per cent respectively.
Commentators these days point out the importance of brand to most businesses' fortunes but Tina Schneidermann, president of the Leaders in London event, pointed out the results may be down to the maturity of certain professions.
Taking into account that the category 'engineers' stretches wider than IT and communications workers, she said: "IT is still an industry of limited maturity. It takes time to go through the management ranks and there aren't a lot of born leaders."
Cynics would point out that many people who work with technology tend to be straightforward and logical in decision-making whereas marketing is often a profession associated with modern-day tactics of spin.
Schneidermann added: "There is an element of truth in that. Being too blunt can be a put-off. You need emotional intelligence, though I also would encourage being straightforward."
The survey was conducted with chief executives, company directors and senior managers across the UK.
Comments
There are 15 comments. Join the discussion
1. Terence Crocker
Anyone with any "emotional intelligence" would tell you that the Brits have been "users" since before the American Revolution and that earning an honest living is beyond their psyche.
2. anonymous
The only possible explanation for the outcome of this piece of 'research' is that only those in marketing have time to waste 'helping' others with market research. Those in technical positions probably refuse to give their valuable time for nothing to help line the coffers of the reseach organisations.
3. Neil Sherratt
It would be interesting to know the % of those with an MBA in each of these groups. My guess is that you will find that a high percentage of accountants will have MBAs and a low percentage of marketeers/sales professionals.
4. Kevan Chippindall-Higgin
True to form, everybody tries to pigeonhole and generalise. Coming from a marketing and export background into IT, my contentin is that many projects fail because there is a reluctance to see how the It component fits into the corporate machine as a whole and then to take the necessary steps to ensure hearts and minds are won at all levels.
It is fairly straightforward, but requires commitment, time and money, things that people are increaingly unwilling to invest, preferring a quick fix.
Poor back up and shaky systems can damage a brand as easily as it being a poor product in the first place, a lesson frequently lost on many people.
5. anonymous
So why are the majority of CEOs ex-finance directors and chartered accountants?
6. John Owens
Why the big divide ? Marketing is a discipline not a department. Everybody can be at least competent at working within a marketing approach, whereas it is harder for everyone to be competent at all details of all 'teccie' stuff (to use the jargon of the article) .
It is wrong to think that IT managers are 'masters' of absolutely everything they command; they possibly only become managers once they leave that comfort zone called 'the detail I know really well'.
That which is left of UK manufacturing and engineering industry has survived by broadening the skills base of their leaders / managers - even engineers have learned to communicate (smile, no insult intended !). Lets not re-create a 1970's type divide by saying that teccies are disenfranchised from leading businesses.
(p.s. I am not a teccie, I am a Chartered Marketer !)
7. anonymous
In my experience the marketing department has been filled with good indifferent and bad people, just like the technical department. However, all the marketing department were paid more than the techies despite the blatant value that some techies bought to the company... why's this? My guess is that the answer lies with the people who are in charge.. marketing execs by trade who have found themselves in senior positions either through tallent, or equally as commonly, through self promotion. They reward their own kind because of their perception of their own (rightly or wrongly) importance.
How many useless marketing execs are there out there doing lunch and going home on time while the techies slave away late into the night thanks to the project managers ineptitude... but that's another story!
8. Steve Hewson
Its not impossible to bridge the Gap. I used to be the technical specialist (MSCE etc etc.) Now four years on I run the Marketing Dept. With Technology based product you have to both address the target customer and the busines needs. Good customer facing Techie's also make great sales people.
9. Ted Howl
Agree with the findings. Especially about accountants being the worst - trouble is it seems that most of the CEOs these days are accountants
10. anonymous
Further to the first comment, I would say that an Accountant would need an MBA more that a Marketer as an Accountant would need to learn a lot more about leading a business (from being back office focused to operations and customer facing) than a Marketer who specialises in customer needs. Hence, they make better business leaders. Although, Marketers are not very good at measuring hard targets (better at the softer side). That is why more sales professionals make it to the top.
11. anonymous
It would be interesting to know the mix of the people taking part in the survey: Most boards are devoid of "techies", just a token production director or technical director, with a financial director, a CEO (who might be an accountant by trade), then a myriad of sales, marketing, advertising and publicity directors followed by an HR director and maybe a lawyer. Are you still sure the survey wasn't biased by marketing men choosing their own kind?
12. anonymous
No one seems to have answered Mr Crocker's comment but I feel that I should...
The only CEO (of many) that I have worked for who I found to be a total and utter arse was, strangely enough a Canadian. No inter-personal skills and a total lack of any kind of emotional intelligence.
It never crossed my mind that it might be to do with his nationality.
My college tutor was also a Canadian and is someone who I will always hold in very high regard.
Mr Crocker you too are a total and utter arse but again I believe this to be for a reason other than your country of birth.
If you can't come and play nice with the other children then don't play at all.
13. Tim Haveron Jones
I can't help but think that this survey is inaccurate - if only because so few UK companies are currently led by marketers (relative, that is, to the number led by accountants). I can't recall the figures or where they came from, but I do know that, as a CEO who came from a marketing background, Tesco's Terry Leahy is still something of a rarity.
That said, I agree with the correspondent who emphasised that marketing, far from being just a department or a team, is really a philosophy that EVERYONE in a business needs to adopt in order for that business to succeed. From the lad who makes the tea right the way down (sorry - my little joke) to the chairman it's imperative that everyone has some level of understanding of what customer needs the business is trying to satisfy. This is not the exclusive territory of the marketing director.
The logical conclusion of this argument is that ALL businesses should be run by marketers - regardless of what job title and qualifications those individuals have on their business cards.
14. Tim Haveron Jones
I can't help but think that this survey is inaccurate - if only because so few UK companies are currently led by marketers (relative, that is, to the number led by accountants). I can't recall the figures or where they came from, but I do know that, as a CEO who came from a marketing background, Tesco's Terry Leahy is still something of a rarity.
That said, I agree with the correspondent who emphasised that marketing, far from being just a department or a team, is really a philosophy that EVERYONE in a business needs to adopt in order for that business to succeed. From the lad who makes the tea right the way down (sorry - my little joke) to the chairman it's imperative that everyone has some level of understanding of what customer needs the business is trying to satisfy. This is not the exclusive territory of the marketing director.
The logical conclusion of this argument is that ALL businesses should be run by marketers - regardless of what job title and qualifications those individuals have on their business cards.
15. Steve Thompson
Any organisation which wants to achieve profitable growth needs to be Sales led, but Marketing driven. Defining and understanding your market is fundamental to developing your business. The results of the survey should therefore come as no great surprise.