London (CNN Business)Christine Lagarde, the incoming president of the European Central Bank, is not an economist. That’s a good thing. Lagarde, who most recently led the International Monetary Fund, is different from her predecessors. For starters, she’s a woman. She also has no experience in crafting monetary policy. What she brings to the ECB is a knack for handling the biggest jobs, savvy political instincts honed at the national and then international level, and deep connections in global finance. It’s precisely those skills that make Lagarde such an attractive choice to lead the ECB, one of the world’s three most important central banks and a bulwark against instability in Europe. Lagarde’s first day on the job is set for November 1, the day after Britain is due to leave the European Union. A crash out is unlikely to phase Lagarde, however: She’s known as a gifted communicator who commands the respect of markets. Read More Should an Italian debt debacle threaten the euro, investors have reasons to remain calm. Lagarde was French finance minister during the global financial crisis. At the IMF, she organized bailouts for Argentina and Greece. “It’s a big break from the past, but one that has…