CEO Idol

The British Psychological Society’s blog points to a research study that has found that a company’s profits are linked to the facial appearance of the Chief Executive. Apparently, “Companies tend to be more profitable if they have a chief executive with a face rated by observers as being more competent, dominant and mature.”

It’s not about age or beauty, it seems, but these other qualities of competence, dominance and maturity that are evident in the face and are somehow linked to the company’s success.

I was reminded of the US presidential race in 1992 when short little Ross Perot was knocked out after the three way debate against tall, handsome Bill Clinton and square-jawed George Bush Sr. Next to them, he looked like one of those money-grubbing small creatures with big ears in Star Trek (the Ferrengi?). America just could not picture him as their leader, representing the most powerful nation on earth alongside the leaders of other countries. He might have had the competence, dominance and maturity to have headed a business empire with a personal net worth of $4.4 billion but that paled into insignificance when he stood beside two tall, good-looking guys who exuded even more competence, dominance and maturity.

But I also thought of Bill Gates, of Microsoft fame, another billionaire who was ranked the richest person in the whole world between 1995 and 2007. He started his empire young, looking nerdy and with a bad dress sense. His speaking voice has a nasal whine. He hasn’t changed much over the years. He looks more like an office clerk than the one time richest man on earth.

And there’s Mark Zuckerberg who created Facebook and who is said to be worth $1.5 billion and is only 25. He looks like a kid. He is a kid! Where’s the competence, dominance and maturity oozing from him?

Maybe with IT and social media, there’s an inverse correlation between these qualities and the company’s success?

Photo credits:

Perot et al, from record.wustl.edu
Bill Gates from niall kennedy on flickr.com (CCL)
Mark Zuckerberg from Laughing Squid on flickr.com (CCL)