Joe Biden topped Donald Trump in a straw poll of voting preferences among large company CEOs taken yesterday in Washington, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren a distant third.
Asked who they would vote for, the CEOs, many from America’s largest companies, opted for Biden over Trump 43% to 37%. Warren had 9%, with no other Democrat hitting 5%.
The unscientific poll of 72 prominent CEOs, taken at the Yale School of Management’s bi-partisan CEO Caucus and hosted by Yale dean and Chief Executive columnist Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, shows how, despite his business background, the president has not gained the widespread support of corporate America’s top leaders over the last two-plus years.
“This cross section of the nation’s major business leaders from heavy industrial manufacturing to retail, consumer products, and technology, was yet another demonstration that the US business community is finding its voice,” said Sonnenfeld, the CEO of Yale’s Chief Executive Leadership Institute. “They are generally not ideologically charged partisans but genuine patriots with a concern for serving a globally competitive, tech savvy nation of unified communities who welcome disagreement with integrity and respect.”
Perhaps most tellingly, a stunning 73% of CEOs polled said the president could not be trusted to tell the American public the truth on key issues like Saudi Arabia, Iran, North Korea and accusations that he obstructed justice. But there was little appetite in the room for impeachment, with 81% saying they did not think democrats should begin proceedings to try and remove the president.
Other results showed little confidence in Trump’s approach to global trade. Of CEOs in the room, 58% did not think the president would achieve a trade deal this year and 80% said they thought business confidence was suffering as a result of US trade policy. CEOs were split 35% to 35% with 31% saying they didn’t know, on whether the as-yet un-ratified USMCA trade deal was a big improvement over Nafta.
Yet 67% of those polled said they were confident that the US would avoid recession in the next 12 months.
Still, it is worth noting that, despite antipathy toward the president among many CEOs polled, 64% still said that Trump’s tough US stance on China was justified, with 65% saying US business has suffered from unfair Chinese competition and 81% percent saying that Chinese network manufacturer Huawei is a threat to national security.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
