More CEOs Have Thought Of Quitting

ByJohn S. McClenahen Boeing Co. Chairman and CEO Philip M. Condit did quit. But apparently many other CEOs have been thinking about it. Indeed, 73% of CEOs have recently considered quitting, a 35% increase from the 54% of CEOs who in 2000 said they had entertained the idea, indicate data from Burson-Marsteller, a public relations and communications consulting firm. Its data show also that 35% of senior executives would turn down an offer to be CEO today. "Although considerably lower than one year ago (54%) when corporate scandals rocked the worldwide business community, the reluctance to assume the chief executive office is still higher than it was two years ago (27%) when Enron had yet to become a household name," says Burson-Marsteller. Its 2003 study of 1,040 CEOs, executives, financial analysts, institutional investors, business media, government officials and board members has a margin of error of plus or minus 3% and was conducted with RoperASW.