The Next Big Cheese - MotleyFool.com - 9/17/04

[Darkbeer]

http://netscape.fool.com/news/commentary/2004/commentary04091701.htm?logvisit=y&source=eptnetlnk308100&npu=y&bounce=y&bounce2=y

A look at the leading contenders to replace Michael Eisner.

QuikQuote: For starters, in recent years we have seen great companies like Coca-Cola and General Electric with seemingly solid contingency plans stumble under the best intentions of in-house successorship. And those companies had popular CEOs. Most of the ballots that were physically cast during this year's annual shareholder meeting for Disney voted against Eisner's retention on the board.So who will ultimately be tapped for the helm? Even before Eisner announced his retirement plans, there were a few names thrown around to potentially fill the heavily scrutinized shoes Since I can't find a Vegas bookmaker willing to dish out the odds, I'll handicap this myself.

[sediment]

Quibbles:
1. CM Matt does not run the theme parks. He runs DLR only. Jay Rasulo runs all the theme parks.
2.
Eisner and his micromanaging ways always seemed to trip up born leaders like Katzenberg, Burke, and Pressler to the point where they left the company given a chance to truly lead elsewhere.
Pressler was ruining DLR. Don't lump him in with "born leaders." "Born yesman" is more like it.

Out of all those choices, I rank them:
1. Burke
2. Jobs
3. Katzenberg
4. The rest.
CM Matt needs more time to prove his worth. Having Rasulo's job would be a good start, in a few years.
The others don't see the theme parks as #1. An afterthought, an inconvenience, auto-pilotable, but budget-cuttable.

[Mark Goldhaber]

Pressler actually has very good skills. For retail. Putting him in charge of parks was like having Mick Jagger sing opera.