Recently, I enjoyed some time at Meg Whitman's home, where she was introduced by Mitt Romney and other members of her team.  I heard her stump speech and her answer to a handful of questions.  I was also able to spend a few minutes with her, her husband, Griff, and some of her team members.

Meg comes across as very genuine -- perhaps a reflection of her minimal time in politics and an absence of the kinds of unfair attacks that produce facades. That genuineness will serve her well, and she would do well to safeguard it and look to develop strong defenders.

On the performance, her stump speech starts slow, and I wouldn't say it had many emotional high points (more on that later).  Where she excels in on questions and answers.  It seems apparent she has thought deeply about the problems facing California and is intent on solving them in the same manner her Bain-trained analytical mind might approach a challenged company.  Of course, the political landscape is strewn with people who have attempted to apply business thinking to government and failed.  Leaving that question and answer session, however, one has nothing but confidence that she will be successful in her objectives, as she succeeded after taking the helm of the eBay internet juggernaut.

What might lead Meg to succeed where others have failed ?  First, she certainly understands marketing and the ability to persuade (not just command).  Many business people have failed because they were not in the persuasion business, but the on time, in place business. In government, persuasion is about the only tool you have, so you better have well-honed marketing capabilities.  Second, we are at a time when the most important problems facing the state are business-like problems around our finances and the delivery of fewer services on even fewer dollars.  Third, she appears to be a good team builder, and it is a testament to her skills that so many current and former eBay management members appeared at the event.  Finally, she has rightly focused and limited her objectives to jobs, reducing spending and education.  She has smartly targeted her appeal with those priorities to specific swing (and non-traditional Republican)  voting blocks.

So, for my ideals of leadership (the four Ps), Meg scores pretty well:  Personnel, check.  Priorities, check.  Policies, check.

The only remaining question is principles (the first or fourth P, as it would be).  She certainly has business / management principles (that would be the Bain Way), but it would be a tremendous advantage for her (and us) for her to communicate her personal principles. Put in Hollywood vernacular, what is the the Meg Whitman character's motivation?  What are the core ideas that would animate her to take on such a challenging and thankless job (ask Arnie on that one).  I suspects she loves her country deeply -- from her reticent New England roots to her California dynamism and optimism ...  but I don't have much to go on there.

If she answers that question clearly and sincerely and in the same genuine manner as the balance of her presentation, she will improve her stump speech and be a tough candidate to beat.  All the micro-demographic targeting in the world cannot make up for the answer to that one simple question:  why are you doing this?

And if she wins, I trust she'll read F. Hayek and J.C. Scott, if she has not already.