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七年前，当吉姆 斯金纳成为麦当劳（McDonald’s）的CEO时，他所面临的情况是：他刚刚帮助公司摆脱困境，但由于两位前任CEO突然离世，他临危受命。他实现了公司利润的激增，结果却又碰到了历史性的经济衰退，美国人开始缩减开支，而外出用餐首当其冲。然而，斯金纳新政保证了公司利润的增长以及公司股票的稳定表现——时至今日，麦当劳股价已创下历史新高。
显然，这是一个不折不扣的励志故事。但是，如果你要做的是在当今竞争激烈、变幻难测的商业环境中选拔CEO或者其他重要高管，那就是另外一回事了。麦当劳（MCD）当初提拔斯金纳确属明智之举，但这是因为公司当时确实预见到了之后的事情呢，还是走运而已？总而言之，我们如何才能锁定或成为当今乃至未来最优秀的管理者呢？
作为公司管理层的成员，到底需要具备哪些过人之处？这个问题至关重要，我们整个夏天都要不断地思考。9月5日，我们将公布《财富》的高管梦之队——在深刻变革的企业界中，一支由一流高管组成的全明星阵容。
让我们先从高层开始吧。通过咨询顶级猎头、董事和投资人，我们将清楚地看到，CEO的明日之星们必须完成哪些任务。
深刻理解国际商业。
关于全球性的事务，每个人都能说得天花乱坠。但是只有极少数人（百威英博（BUD）的薄睿拓便是其中之一）才是真正的世界公民。
不断革新战略与商业模式。
以前，一种强大的业务模式可以持续数十年。时过境迁，如今几乎每个行业的CEO们都必须在企业内进行深度革新，彭明盛领导IBM（IBM）向软件业务的成功转移就是一个范例。
巧妙处理与政府的关系。
世界各国的政府都在纷纷改变对企业的干预，其中大部分增强了对企业的干预程度，企业需要妥善管理这种干预。比如，摩根大通（J.P. Morgan Chase）的杰米 戴蒙便将政府关系视作公司的业务之一。
发现风险，管理风险，避免灾难。
众所周知，埃克森美孚公司（Exxon Mobil）所处的行业变化莫测，充满风险，但雷克斯 蒂勒森却保持了公司的稳定发展，并且使公司获得了超高的利润。因为这个缘故，他的媒体曝光率几乎为零，而这也正是他刻意追求的效果。
肉眼凡胎之辈真的有人具备上述所有这些特质吗？有，但为数不多，而梦之队其他位置的选拔条件同样非常苛刻。谁将成为梦之队的一员？我们目前还不得而知，但是毫无疑问，要成为这个团队的一员，绝非易事。
Here's the world Jim Skinner faced when he became McDonald's CEO seven years ago: He had just helped turn the struggling company around, but now he was boss because the two previous CEOs had died suddenly. He got profits soaring, only to encounter a historic recession in which Americans said the first expense they were cutting was eating out. With a new strategy, Skinner kept profits up and the stock steady -- and today it's hitting all-time highs.
It's an inspiring story unless you're trying to pick a CEO or any other important manager in today's violently, unpredictably shifting business environment. Did McDonald's (MCD) actually foresee what was coming when it wisely promoted Skinner, or was it just lucky? More generally, how can anyone hope to spot -- or be -- the best executive for today and tomorrow?
That question is so important that we'll turn to it repeatedly throughout the summer, identifying the winning traits needed by each member of the C-suite. Then, in our Sept. 5 issue, we'll name our Executive Dream Team -- the men and women at each position in an all-star lineup of knockout executives for a profoundly changing business world.
Let's start at the top. Canvass top headhunters, directors, and investors, and you get a clear picture of the tasks that star CEOs of tomorrow will need to do extraordinarily well.
Understand global business in their bones.
Everybody talks a good global game. Only a few (A-B InBev's (BUD) Carlos Brito, for one) are true citizens of the world.
Change strategies and business models more than before.
In the good old days a strong business model lasted for decades. No more. CEOs in almost every industry will have to innovate at their business's deepest level, as Sam Palmisano has done in moving IBM (IBM) adeptly into software.
Skillfully manage relationships with governments.
Governments worldwide are changing their involvement in business, mostly increasing it, and it all needs to be managed. Just look how J.P. Morgan Chase's (JPM) Jamie Dimon treats government relations as a line of business.
Identify and manage risks before they become disasters.
In a notoriously volatile and risky industry, Exxon Mobil's (XOM) Rex Tillerson has kept his company on a steady and extremely profitable course. That's one reason he gets almost zero publicity, which is just as much as he wants.
Could any mere human possess all those traits? Not many could, and the requirements will be just as stringent for the other positions on the Dream Team. We don't know who the members will be, but we know for sure that making this team won't be easy.
