In How to Become CEO, consultant Jeffrey Fox has written an insightful book of traits to develop for aspiring CEOs, or for anyone who wants to get ahead in business. Open this book to any page and find a short, provocative piece of brutally honest advice written in a conversational tone. Each of the seventy-five 'rules' focuses on a specific action that should be taken, a trait that needs to be developed, or things to avoid. The words never and always are used frequently. These are smart, no-nonsense business messages that are meant to be revisited in your rise to the top. This is a book of hard-headed idealism that will empower you to develop the qualities that are required of leaders: vision, persistence, integrity, and respect for superiors, subordinates, peers, and self. Anyone looking to climb the corporate ladder will be grateful for Fox's direct, pithy advice - the essentials to follow if you want to reach the top.
Most books about career advancement are either weighty examinations about success in the workplace (e.g.,
How to Be a Star at Work and
Working with Emotional Intelligence) or flippant, humorous takes on surviving the countless inanities of modern work life (e.g.,
Working Wounded). Jeffrey Fox's book,
How to Become CEO: The Rules for Rising to the Top of Any Organization is neither. Instead, Fox presents 75 commonsense rules about successfully conducting your career.
Rules like "Know Everybody by Their First Name" and "No Goals No Glory" may seem obvious; others, such as "Don't Take Work Home from the Office" or "Don't Have a Drink with the Gang" may not. Each is accompanied by page or two of succinct and thought-provoking explanation. For example, for rule 27, "Don't Hide an Elephant," Fox writes, "Big problems always surface. If they have been hidden, even unintentionally, the negative fallout is always worse. The 'hiders' always get burned, regardless of complicity. The 'discoverers' always are safe, regardless of complicity." Wise and to the point, How to Become CEO will help just about anybody's career, whether you want to become CEO or not. --Harry C. Edwards