Boeing's Struggle To Find A Pilot

Would-be CEOs see some companies as too risky to run. This one is Exhibit A

Business Week 05/23/05
author: Stanley Holmes
author: Diane Brady
(Copyright 2005 McGraw-Hill, Inc.)

What self-respecting exec would turn down a chance to head one of the world's most powerful corporations? Well, there are at least two out there, and maybe more. The company in question: Boeing Co. (BA ). On May 3, GE Aircraft Engine Chief Executive David L. Calhoun said he wasn't interested in the post vacated by Harry Stonecipher in March. That makes Calhoun the second leading contender to drop out of the race. Just a few weeks earlier, W. James McNerney Jr., 3M Co.'s CEO, a Boeing director and perennial favorite for the top spot, issued a statement saying he didn't want it either.

Not long ago any ambitious up-and-comers worth their annual bonus would have killed for the chance to run a struggling icon like Boeing.

Still looking for the glorious leader...