close window 
A talent for dealing with people tops the list of important business skills, according to Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase. “It’s not IQ that leads to success,” he said. “EQ is more important: emotional intelligence, social skills, how you relate, can you get things done. That’s what makes a difference, especially in management.”
Dimon spoke with Luigi Zingales, Robert C. McCormack Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance, at a fireside chat at the Hyde Park Center January 19, an event hosted by Career Services.
Work ethic also makes a difference, Dimon said. “You can’t be successful and not work hard. People want easy answers. There are no easy answers. You have to have a lot of fortitude. You have to try to do the right thing in every situation, then move forward.”
In addition to asking Dimon about his business philosophy, Zingales asked about the state of financial markets around the world. First Dimon said, “CEOs are terrible forecasters. We see the recent past.” But, he added, the global market is going to change and for legitimate reasons. European markets are getting stronger; so are markets in Asia, India, China and the Middle East. “The United States is the weak spot,” he said. And, because the U.S. imposes so many regulations, companies will choose to move. “We can’t control them,” he said. “Businesses move if they have to. They are going to move, no matter what.” Still, he said, U.S. products are selling internationally.
Dimon shared his top three considerations for finding the right job: the people, the job, the company. It’s important to like the people you’re going to work with, to be clear about the job you’re hired to do, and to look at the company’s profile and what opportunities it may offer over time. “Be open minded about what’s there,” Dimon advised.
—Carmen Marti