Taking over the helm of America’s largest bank is no ordinary job and Jamie Dimon has made it very clear. According to the Wall Street legend, his eventual successor will have to tick an incredibly long list of boxes to be deemed worthy to lead the organisation. During JPMorgan Chase’s second-quarter earnings call on Tuesday (July 14), the 70-year-old billionaire banker was asked what he and the bank’s board are looking for in the company’s next leader.Dimon, talking about what truly separates an ordinary executive from an exceptional CEO, serving up an exhaustive checklist of required professional skills, emotional benchmarks and global capabilities. The executive, who has successfully steered the financial titan for more than two decades, said that the ideal candidate must possess an unusual blend of hard analytical execution, relentless work ethic and deeply human qualities.
Jamie Dimon’s ultimate CEO checklist
Beyond personal character, the job demands high-level institutional and political navigation. Dimon noted that the next CEO must be able to handle extensive international travel and deal with world leaders, which include global corporate CEOs to prime ministers.Furthermore, the successor cannot just focus on high-stakes dealmaking; they must thoroughly understand and actively engage with the bank’s complex back-office infrastructure.“I could give you a long list of stuff, but it’s all of that,” Dimon summarised during the call. He later emphasized that he heavily prizes “flexibility of mind,” raw “brain power,” and high emotional intelligence. According to Dimon (via Business Insider), the core requirements for next JPMorgan Chase include:Be good at managementBe good with peopleBe analyticalBe detailedBe a “culture carrier”Be curiousHave heartHave gritHave soulHave work ethicBe able to travelBe able to deal with CEOs and prime ministersUnderstand and engage with the bank’s back-office functionsDimon, however, reassured analysts that he has no immediate plans to step down or retire. More importantly, he stressed that the bank already possesses an incredibly deep talent pool capable of stepping into the role at a moment’s notice.He pointed to top internal executives, including chief operating officer Jennifer Piepszak and Mary Erdoes, the current CEO of JPMorgan’s highly successful asset and wealth management business.“So it’s a great team of people which I am fully confident if I was hit by a truck — which is not my preference — we would be fine,” Dimon joked.
