If anybody knows what it takes to get you to the top of the corporate ladder, it’s #1 executive coach Debra Benton. Now, in this follow-up to her best-selling How to Think Like a CEO, she draws upon her work with top-level executives at corporate giants such as AT&T, Colgate, Pepsi, Mobil Oil, Nabisco, American Express, and McKinsey, and interviews she conducted with 100 CEOs around the world, to: • Identify the 10 “rules of the game” ambitious managers need to follow if they want to make it to the top slot • Show how successful CEOs apply the rules in their everyday business dealings, and what happens when they break them • Provide managers with valuable pointers on how to apply each rule in their professional lives
Written by one of the most respected executive coaches in the world, How to Act Like a CEO is must reading for ambitious managers in every industry, whether they aspire to being CEOs or not.
You are about to meet a cross-section of some of the most powerful and successful CEOs in the world. They range in age from their twenties to their sixties, come from widely divergent backgrounds, and work in completely different industries…
But every one of these successful executives has used the same 10 rules in getting to the top. Now you can too!
What qualities does it take to be CEO of a small start-up company in Silicon Valley? To head a huge media conglomerate headquartered in New York City? To leapfrog your way up the career ladder? To launch a successful new business venture? The answer is it takes the same qualities. Successful people, says D.A. Benton, may vary enormously in their personalities, temperaments, and goals, but in the ways that really count, star achievers are more alike than they are different.
Benton, a world-famous executive consultant who has been profiled in Fortune, Time, and The New York Times and has coached many of the world’s most powerful executives, is the author of the classic bestseller How to Think Like a CEO – a book which gave readers insight into the decision-making processes of those at the top of their fields. For this follow-up book, she has interviewed hundreds of executives to find out exactly what they do differently than the also-rans – to provide an inside look at CEOs in action. How do they assess risks and opportunities in a new venture? How do they put together deals? How do they convince others to follow them? How do they manage a crisis?
Benton analyzes the leadership styles of such diverse individuals as Reuben Marks, head of Colgate-Palmolive; Apple’s legendary Steven Jobs; top defense lawyer Gerry Spence; Brian McCune, CEO of e-merging Technologies; Dinita Johnson Hughes, CEO of Edgewater Systems; Doug Conant, President of Nabisco Foods and General Colin Powell. Benton has discovered that there are certain qualities that all of these CEOs have in common. These qualities become the basis for the ten rules that anyone can follow to achieve CEO-like results – at any level, in any career, in any industry. The ten rules are:
Whether your ambition is to become the CEO, start your own company, get a promotion, or just have a long and rewarding career where you command tremendous respect and admiration, this no-nonsense and insightful book will help you achieve your goal.
WANT TO GET TO THE TOP OF YOUR FIELD AND COMMAND THE RESPECT OF YOUR COLLEAGUES? LET THE WORLD’S TOP EXECUTIVES TEACH YOU TO APPLY THE 10 RULES THAT WILL HELP YOU ACT LIKE A CEO.
Praise for How to Act Like a CEO
"A wonderful blend of Dale Carnegie and the 10 Commandments." -- Reuben Mark, Chairman, CEO and President, The Colgate Palmolive Company
"With this book, Debra Benton has uniquely leveraged her lifetime study of CEOs into an insightful, clear and compelling primer for aspiring executives." -- Doug Conant, President, Nabisco Food Company
"An insightful tour d'horizon of how CEOs approach decision-making and leadership ... this book demonstrates that although no two CEOs think alike, there are certain habits of mind and a disposition to decide and to act that most leaders have in common." --William Stavropoulos, CEO, The Dow Chemical Company
"A most insightful guide for those who yearn to run a major enterprise in this era of hypercompetition. Highly recommended for anyone with an eye towards great career success – especially the young and hungry go-getters who need Benton’s advice more than they’ll ever know." --Jeff Cunningham, Chairman of the Board, iLIFE.com
"Benton has managed to get some of the top people to share their insight and advice, and the result is a highly readable book that would benefit anyone trying to succeed in an organization today." --Solomon D. Trujillo, President, Chairman and CEO, US West, Inc.
