How to Gauge a C.E.O.’s Value? Hint: It’s Not the Share Price

Companies love total shareholder return in part because it is easy to calculate. But a company’s stock can rocket even when its operations are being run into the ground. So basing pay on total shareholder return can encourage an executive to manage more for a company’s share price than for its overall health. A better way to measure whether a C.E.O. has created value at a company is to look at its return on capital over a period of years. This reveals how effectively a company is using its own money to generate profit in its operations. When you compare these returns to an executive’s compensation, you see where pay is justified and where it isn’t.