How Did Rex Tillerson Make it to CEO of ExxonMobil?
Agreed. I expected better from Tillerson.
yahooyahoo said:
Tillerson has been a serious dud so far. Almost invisible publicly and by many accounts mismanaging the State Department already. How did this guy become CEO of one of the largest corporations on the planet? He's got the charisma of a cardboard box.
Its possible he was selected primarily to "lead" the State Department in smoothing through energy deals with Russia, etc. He may not be interested in other normal State Dept diplomatic concerns.
I'm not questioning why he was chosen by Trump to lead the State Department. His connections in Russia are clearly a driving factor. Despite his position as CEO of ExxonMobil, he had no government/political experience.
My question is how he rose to CEO in the first place? He's got zero personality and a non-existent leadership style.
By all accounts he was an knowledgeable, effective and competent oil man culminating in leadership of Exxon. None of that can reasonably translate into being an effective Secretary of State any more than it would into becoming a surgeon.
Geez he has been Secy of State for all of 5 weeks, did you expect him to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict already?
He had a long and very successful career, rose through the ranks at Exxon and was CEO for more than a decade, for one of the world's largest multinational companies. I think those accomplishments trump yahooyahoo's spitballs posted on MOL.
Also note that ExxonMobil is one of the most conservative/buttoned-down companies out there, so a lack of charisma or personality isn't a problem.
I don't know a ton about the guy nor am I necessarily a fan, but sometimes the negativity can be so unfounded that it warrants a response.
That's a fair observation, but it is also the case that a lot of CEO's are very smart people who can grasp the key concepts of new situations and assign people to address those situations. Also, I would expect a lot of CEO's to have a strong presence. Clearly, I need to reevaluate.
Gilgul said:
By all accounts he was an knowledgeable, effective and competent oil man culminating in leadership of Exxon. None of that can reasonably translate into being an effective Secretary of State any more than it would into becoming a surgeon.
Also, it depends on the organization of the administration. Does anyone remember William P. Rogers? No. Foreign policy was run by Nixon and Kissinger right from the beginning and in that set up the Secretary of State was pretty much irrelevant.
I do not know who is running foreign policy now. It might be Bannon, it might be Kushner. But I am pretty certain it is not the State Department.
tjohn said:
That's a fair observation, but it is also the case that a lot of CEO's are very smart people who can grasp the key concepts of new situations and assign people to address those situations. Also, I would expect a lot of CEO's to have a strong presence. Clearly, I need to reevaluate.
Gilgul said:
By all accounts he was an knowledgeable, effective and competent oil man culminating in leadership of Exxon. None of that can reasonably translate into being an effective Secretary of State any more than it would into becoming a surgeon.
Our so-called President believes that being a surgeon is qualification for being Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Dr. Carson has lived in a house and has certainly lived in or worked in or visited an urban area.
Mr. Tillerson has run a large organization and he has visited foreign countries.
What's the problem?
Gilgul said:
Also, it depends on the organization of the administration. Does anyone remember William P. Rogers? No. Foreign policy was run by Nixon and Kissinger right from the beginning and in that set up the Secretary of State was pretty much irrelevant.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_P._Rogers
LOST said:
tjohn said:
That's a fair observation, but it is also the case that a lot of CEO's are very smart people who can grasp the key concepts of new situations and assign people to address those situations. Also, I would expect a lot of CEO's to have a strong presence. Clearly, I need to reevaluate.
Gilgul said:
By all accounts he was an knowledgeable, effective and competent oil man culminating in leadership of Exxon. None of that can reasonably translate into being an effective Secretary of State any more than it would into becoming a surgeon.
Our so-called President believes that being a surgeon is qualification for being Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Dr. Carson has lived in a house and has certainly lived in or worked in or visited an urban area.
Mr. Tillerson has run a large organization and he has visited foreign countries.
What's the problem?
I would expect more from the head of a huge corporation. Part of his job is getting his area experts together and formulating a plan or approach for addressing various hot spots. And I would expect the head of large corporation to have some presence and charisma.
Someone can be an effective Secy of State with Tillerson's background. International business entails relationship building, negotiating etc., as does SoS role. I don't think Tillerson necessarily will be an effective SoS, but I don't think his background is a concern.
Gilgul and Lost -- I presume you had similar concerns about Barack Obama's background in 2008, given he was a community organizer and one-term Senator running to be the leader of the free world?
Here is an article that provides perspective from both sides of the Tillerson debate:
http://www.politico.eu/article/state-department-staffers-have-one-question-wheres-rex/
Tillerson is unlikely to do much of anything, except maybe with Russia, since Trump is clearly trying to destroy the State Department.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/03/state-department-trump/517965/
He's apparently got that Jack Donaghy "control a room with your voice" thing.
One of our first tasks was to choose our jury foreman. Perhaps it was his business suit, his impressive stature, or his charisma, but almost everyone in that jury room suggested that this middle-aged man with graying hair was likely the most fit for the task.
Noy all CEOs are Musk and Branson. In fact, some are downright bo-ring.
Wilbur Ross, on the other hand, is supposed to be hilarious. Particularly known for his impressions of Matthew McConaughey and Christopher Walken.
This is comforting news from Mr. Tillerson.
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/22/tillerson-job-my-wife-told-me-im-supposed-to-do-this.html
"I didn't want this job. I didn't seek this job," he told the Independent Journal Review in an interview during his recent Asia trip which was published on Wednesday.
"My wife told me I'm supposed to do this," he added.
Oil company CEOs aren't usually the flashy sort that are meant to be in the headlines all the time. May not be a good fit for State? Also Bannon wants to destroy the state, so maybe Tillerson isn't supposed to do much anyway. I can guarantee that Trump doesn't have any real opinion on the role of the State Department and foreign policy seems to be as much run through Kushner as much as anyone else.
At Exxon, the vast majority of professional positions, from entry-level to CEO, are engineers and scientists. This is complimented, of course, by a certain cadre of lawyers, MBAs, accountants, HR types, PR types, etc. But the focus is on the technology required to find the crude oil, get it out of the ground, transport it, refine it into useful products, and transport them to where the customers are. There is a similar approach for natural gas.
Rex Tillerson is a civil engineering graduate of the University of Texas. Exxon has a long history of growing senior leadership from within. You can be sure that by the time Tillerson got anywhere close to the CEO’s chair, he had been tested and vetted many times over.
Whether he will (or can) be an effective Secretary of State is, as they say in Britain, another kettle of fish.
Yeah, I'm not sure how his clear ineptitude as Sec'y of State has anything to do with being a competent CEO.
They are quite, quite different jobs.
tomcarlson said:
At Exxon, the vast majority of professional positions, from entry-level to CEO, are engineers and scientists. This is complimented, of course, by a certain cadre of lawyers, MBAs, accountants, HR types, PR types, etc. But the focus is on the technology required to find the crude oil, get it out of the ground, transport it, refine it into useful products, and transport them to where the customers are. There is a similar approach for natural gas.
Rex Tillerson is a civil engineering graduate of the University of Texas. Exxon has a long history of growing senior leadership from within. You can be sure that by the time Tillerson got anywhere close to the CEO’s chair, he had been tested and vetted many times over.
Whether he will (or can) be an effective Secretary of State is, as they say in Britain, another kettle of fish.
Why do people keep thinking that Trump has chosen people to carry out traditional roles? His appointments are meant to help to destroy the departments, that's all.
good point and one that can't be repeated often enough.
FilmCarp said:
Why do people keep thinking that Trump has chosen people to carry out traditional roles? His appointments are meant to help to destroy the departments, that's all.
The State Department is his second workplace. Ever. In his life. His first job out of college was with ExxonMobil (Or just Exxon at the time. Or perhaps Esso). He rose through the ranks. Being a good,loyal company man is what's valued at these types of companies.
I do give him credit that he wanted to appoint Elliot Abrams as his deputy. At least he knows he needs an experienced person to run the place. Of course 45 vetoed the appointment because Abrams spoke against him during the campaign.
Isn't Elliot Abrams a convicted criminal?
Decided to Google for an answer. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanors.
During investigation of the Iran-Contra Affair, Lawrence Walsh, the Independent Counsel tasked with investigating the case, prepared multiple felony counts against Abrams but never indicted him.[22] Instead, Abrams cooperated with Walsh and entered into a plea agreement wherein he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of withholding information from Congress.[24] He was sentenced to a $50 fine, probation for two years, and 100 hours of community service. However, Abrams was pardoned by President George H. W. Bush in December 1992.
On February 5, 1997, the D.C. Court of Appeals publicly censured Abrams for giving false testimony on three occasions before congressional committees. Although a majority of the court voted to impose a public censure, three judges in the majority would have imposed a suspension of six months, and a fourth judge would have followed the recommendation of the Board on Professional Responsibility that Abrams be suspended for a year.
Smedley said:
Someone can be an effective Secy of State with Tillerson's background. International business entails relationship building, negotiating etc., as does SoS role. I don't think Tillerson necessarily will be an effective SoS, but I don't think his background is a concern.
Gilgul and Lost -- I presume you had similar concerns about Barack Obama's background in 2008, given he was a community organizer and one-term Senator running to be the leader of the free world?
Didn't see this or I would have answered.
Yes, I did, which is why I voted for Hillary Clinton in the Primary in 2008.
LOST said:
Isn't Elliot Abrams a convicted criminal?
Decided to Google for an answer. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanors.
During investigation of the Iran-Contra Affair, Lawrence Walsh, the Independent Counsel tasked with investigating the case, prepared multiple felony counts against Abrams but never indicted him.[22] Instead, Abrams cooperated with Walsh and entered into a plea agreement wherein he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of withholding information from Congress.[24] He was sentenced to a $50 fine, probation for two years, and 100 hours of community service. However, Abrams was pardoned by President George H. W. Bush in December 1992.
On February 5, 1997, the D.C. Court of Appeals publicly censured Abrams for giving false testimony on three occasions before congressional committees. Although a majority of the court voted to impose a public censure, three judges in the majority would have imposed a suspension of six months, and a fourth judge would have followed the recommendation of the Board on Professional Responsibility that Abrams be suspended for a year.
Yes, Iran Contra. But how much can we expect from these Trump appointees? A deputy who's an experienced foreign policy person AND not a criminal?
Exactly.
FilmCarp said:
Why do people keep thinking that Drumpf has chosen people to carry out traditional roles? His appointments are meant to help to destroy the departments, that's all.
Yes. I'm actually surprised he named an Education secretary and an EPA administrator. I seriously expected him to leave those jobs vacant.
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Tillerson has been a serious dud so far. Almost invisible publicly and by many accounts mismanaging the State Department already. How did this guy become CEO of one of the largest corporations on the planet? He's got the charisma of a cardboard box.