You like me, you really like me

In 2004 America will select a new president, and two things will likely decide the election.

Knowledge of the issues? Leadership skills? Experience? Position on gay marriage?

No. likeability and height. Sounds crazy, right?

But it's not. Since 1960, the Gallup organization has conducted its "Personality Factor Poll" before every presidential election. The only consistent prognosticator of the final election results: the likeability factor. In his book "You've Got to Be Believed to be Heard," speech coach Bert Decker writes "the personality factor dominates in politics. It also dominates in business. And it dominates in our day-to-day lives."

He's right. It's human nature. We want to be liked and we want to like our leaders. Have you ever loved or hated your boss? It's just as well there's no electoral college for CEOs or a lot of them could be in trouble. I once worked for a boss for whom half the staff in our office would have run through a brick wall. I also worked for her successor, a boss who would have needed that brick wall just to protect him from that same staff.

Likeability is a real factor in real life. But on videotape it screams. Likable leaders who smile, make eye contact and convey a genuine respect for other people come across well. Less likable leaders don't. One major-company executive I know had a body coach for a period of time. The coach followed him everywhere and tried to help him soften his aggressive body language. Why? Because employees were scared of him. They didn't like him.

These factors matter. It's simple human emotion and if it helps get the leader of the free world elected, it's something to which any boss should pay attention. And politics, like the corporate world, is strongly influenced by human emotion.

"They don't teach this in political science, but if a politician is liked, he or she is halfway home." Llewlyn King, publisher of White House Weekly wrote in a recent opinion column. "You can find President Bush's grasp of world affairs risible, his command of English tenuous and his lack of curiosity appalling, but he is still hard to dislike. He is hugely, damnably, annoyingly likable."

That could present a problem for the presumptive Democratic nominee, 60-year-old Sen. John Kerry, who has the impossibly sad visage of a basset hound. It's not really fair. A politician spends his entire life boning up on foreign policy, fighting for his country and working in government only to find voters like the other guy's smile. Remember the smartest kid in your high school class? No one really liked that guy. To be fair, Kerry has worked hard to become more agreeable. He even rode his motorcycle on stage during a Jay Leno visit. But he's still more Al Gore than Bill Clinton.

And here's another predictor of presidential prowess: height.

This sounds just as weird as likeability but according to a December 2003 Washington Post story, of the 13 presidential elections in the television era, 10 were won by the taller candidate. The three smaller victors? Nixon in 1972, Carter in 1976 and Bush in 2000 - although Bush at 5-11 hardly qualifies as short he did edge out the 6-1 Al Gore (see likeability: lack of, above).

Bush is the first person under six feet tall to occupy the Oval Office in the last two decades. The Post writer, who obviously has too much time on his hands, also studied 31 U.S. Senate elections and found the taller candidate prevailed in 23 of the races.

So long before he self destructed in the now infamous "I have a scream" speech, the 5-9 Howard Dean wasn't going to win the presidency. Not only is he short-ish, but he was also described as "emotionally chilly" by at least one writer. And we won't even pick on the 5-7 Dennis Kucinich.

There's nothing fair about either of these presidential predictors. But they're both meaningful to voters. So put aside those pesky issues of the day. What matters is likeability and height. It's silly, but apparently serious enough to make a real difference.

If we could draw up a perfect president from central casting, he (and chances are it'll be a "he" at least until 2008), would be tall, friendly and extremely likeable. Oh, a working knowledge of the government and world affairs would be nice, too. But it's not essential. Such are the human vagaries that elect the leader of the free world - and impact our opinions of business leaders across the corporate world.

Dave Yewman is 6-5 and darn likable - but English and thus not electable to any office above California governor.

We always welcome your thoughts and opinions. If you'd like to contact DASH Consulting click here or send us a note at dave@dashconsultinginc.com