The problem with this article is that Rao keeps his key criteria, "technical" and "financial," pretty loosely defined and conveniently flexible. Steve Jobs, for instance, gets a pass as "technical" under Rao's framework. While there's no question that Jobs had a profound understanding of technology, he couldn't have built Apple's first products by himself. Or, arguably, with the help of any old technical co-founder. In Steve Wozniak, he had no less than a once-in-a-generation technical genius at his side. Jobs had unparalleled technical vision, but he was not "technical" in the way that, say, Bill Gates was "technical." And yet, jobs was a tremendously effective CEO.

Furthermore, Rao's assertion that Jobs lacked "people skills" is demonstrably false. It's true that Jobs was an unrelenting perfectionist, an introvert, at times a genuine asshole, and probably narcissistic. But to say he lacked "people skills" is to ignore his profound understanding of how to communicate with people. How to inspire people, be they co-founders, employees, or customers. How to move people. These skills had to be quite strong, indeed, in order to overcome the barriers his difficult personality erected around him. When we speak of "people skills," we really need to define what we're talking about. If we're simply talking about being an affable guy, then no, most CEOs probably don't pass the test. But if we're talking about the ability to understand, speak to, lead, organize, and often downright manipulate people, then yes, "people skills" are pretty crucial.