Jim McNerney

What makes a truly great leader? Attention to detail, a vision for the future, or maybe a strong personality? How about an education from Harvard or another top business school? Maybe the formula for superior leadership is much simpler; maybe the best way to spot a great leader is simply to look for someone who doesn't focus on profits.

Aerospace is an intensely nationalist business. But not only do aircraft makers get tied up in international political dogfights, such battle lines are drawn between states as well. Witness the just-completed competition between blue state Boeing and red state Airbus.

Given the latest production delay at Boeing, this time on the 747-8, the board should finally slide CEO Jim McNerney out the emergency exit. Ford CEO Alan Mulally looks like the perfect fit, especially because of his successful earlier career at Boeing.

This morning, Morgan Stanley (MS) aerospace analyst Heidi Wood downgraded Boeing (BA) from "equal weight" to "underweight" -- cutting her price target from $50 to $43, according to The Seattle Times. Translation: Get out of this stock! Boeing, which reports earnings Wednesday morning, is down over...

When will Boeing's (BA) problems end? The latest setback: It has announced that it will take a $1 billion charge for problems with its next-generation jumbo jet -- the 747-8. According to the New York Times, those problems include design changes, insufficient engineering resources and an eight-week...

Boeing (BA) CEO Jim McNerney is eager to move the company to China. Whether moving Boeing to China means shifting its headquarters from Chicago to Beijing is up in the air. But Boeing already has $600 million in supplier partnerships with China -- such as a deal with Shenyang Aircraft Corporation...

Things are getting embarrassing for Boeing (BA) CEO Jim McNerney. That's because after announcing four delays to its highly touted aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, Boeing just announced a new delay -- making this the fifth. Should heads roll at Boeing as a result of this embarrassment? Or is the...