I have yet to meet a CEO of any of the companies I worked at that wowed me with their intelligence. I have worked at small enough companies to have directly worked with and spoke with the CEOs on multiple occasions. I know when I meet someone bright, and none of them have been it. What they have been good at is bullshitting and talking their way in and out of things. Having communication and coercion skills IMO are a great indicator of your ability to become a C-Suite executive. That and being willing to abandon most other things in life including your family. I guess my point is that the skills required to get into those roles are not always what you assume they should be… and there is a reason you often find some of the most abhorrent people in said roles.

Water is wet. anything else?