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How to Become CEO: The Rules for Rising to the Top of Any Organization (精装)
by Jeffrey J. Fox
| Category:
Career development, Career advancement, Corporate success, Leadership, |
| Market price: ¥ 198.00
MSL price:
¥ 158.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
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MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Loaded with no-nonsense advice with focus on people skills, this book shares an expert's insights on the rules of rising to the top of any organization |
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AllReviews |
1 2   | Total 2 pages 12 items |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
Read the book in less than one hour. Great writing style. Excellent points that will help you move up in the ladder in any company - even if CEO is not your intention. Great points that for the most part take little effort, but just a little ingenuity and desire to want to be the best. Key tips about things to do in different situations from traveling with the boss, to socializing at office events, to relationships with fellow employees, to key contacts to make along the way, to key positions that will increase your chance of being noticed and getting promoted.
A favorite of mine is that he mentions that if all members of upper management went to Harvard, then it will help if you went to Harvard (well duh, right?), but say you didn't go to Harvard, follow the same concept by looking at other areas. Not trying to be too simplistic, but if all members of upper management are married men, then if CEO is your life's ambition it's about time to marry your fiance. Not to sound heartless and what not, but if you really want to be on top and you aren't married and all of them are its a check mark against you... you want to build checks marks in your favor. I think that's what this book conveys. The above was perhaps not the best example, but you get the idea - his book helps you analyze your life and professional behavior and improve it so that you have a better chance of getting there. Of course knowledge and skill are still THE keys, but these are the behaviors that go along with those pieces to complete the puzzle.
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David Spellman (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
This book is full of great advice that contradicts the conventional wisdom you hear. For example, advice about snoozing like don't go to parties or drink with coworkers, avoid traveling in company with your superiors so they can relax, and don't put in obviously long hours because it makes you look like you can't keep up. This is different than what I have heard and seen, but it makes sense.
I do disagree with the advice to take the highest paying job. I have made a couple of strategically bad decisions by taking more money instead of taking more responsibility = opportunity. But I can't think of any other nuggets of advice that I would not recommend.
Like another reviewer said, this is a great book to give to someone just starting their career - like a graduation present. There is so much junk advice floating around the business world, and I like this book because it makes sense and makes for a livable professional life. |
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Sarah Wu (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
Maybe a better title for this book should be, "Tips on how to look good to management and get promoted," but on second thought that's awfully long! I don't think the tactics recommended will necessarily make you a CEO one day but they will go a long way to get you noticed by upper management.
I bought this book after skimming it in a bookstore and I have to say, Mr. Fox's tactics and tips seem like winners. I'm not a manager and I think his ideas have helped me and are easily implemented into your daily workflow.
For example, one thing Mr. Fox says is to come to work 45 minutes early and leave 15 minutes late. He says that this cements your reputation as a hard worker. My boss does that exact thing and he has been moving successfully up the ladder.
Most of his suggestions really hit home. I recommend this book to anyone looking to revamp his/her image and to make himself/herself more attractive to upper management.
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M. Schubert (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
Ignore the How to Become CEO portion of the title. Focus just on the byline: The Rules for Rising to the Top of Any Organization. That is truly what this book is about. Fox has organized this book into 75 nuggets of no-nonsense advice for living your corporate life. Each chapter is an average of 3 pages, and is devoted to backing up one nugget of advice.
I don't believe anything he says is earth shattering, nor do I believe it possible to implement all of his ideas. However, the way each idea was backed up with simple reasoning and examples made it easy to understand the motivation behind it. It also made it easy to determine whether it was applicable to my situation and in many cases, gave examples of how to handle particular situations.
I can speak from my own experience that just implementing two pieces of his advice has positively changed the way that I approach my work environment and the way coworkers and management perceive me. This was well worth the money I spent on this book. There is no doubt in my mind that anyone who is serious in advancing into the ranks of upper management will find a minimum of 3-5 nuggets that help shape their attitudes and habits to attain that goal within this book!
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Vaughan (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
How to Become CEO, by Jeffery Fox, is a very light book. Fox provides us with the secrets of success that might suprise us, as he states himself. Well, let's get one thing straight - if you follow these rules, which are written that way, then I don't think I can say that you're going to become a CEO, but it certainly will help. Not all CEOs are the same - we know that. We also know that - not all company's are the same. And of course we know - that if everyone was the same, then this would be a real boring world. So, what's my advice?
Read this book, and take what you want from it. There are some points in the book which I don't believe it at all. For example, he stresses the point of skipping all office parties. In my case, I believe that this is a great way to mix and interact with the people you work with. Getting to know them, and allowing them to know you. Why be insociable, and only come to work... to do work...? My advice to Jeff is to read Fish - by another CEO - John Christensen (who didn't follow these rules). A workplace is not just about work and seriousness - but rather, enjoyment. Because when you enjoy something, then the probability of the result being better is much higher.
But by and large, Fox tell's us never to write a nasty memo, and to think for an hour everyday. He tells us to always take vacations, and to arrive exactly 45 minutes early to work, and to leave 15 minutes late. I don't know - he obviously is speaking from experience, but then again - you gotta do a little more than that to get to his position. An interesting read though. |
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David Oboyski (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
I'm not a fan of the self-help, who-moved-my-cheese, expand-a- single-idea- into-a-$20-sale book. I approach most of these with cynicism and skepticism. That said, I highly recommend this book and have used it twice in the past two years for a book discussion I ran for young stars at our company.
I usually consider these business books worthwhile if 50 percent of the advice is on target for me. I find, with CEO, that the rough mix is 50 percent of the information is dead-on, 30 percent is a pretty decent fit for me, and 20 percent just doesn't make sense. The odd thing, I've found, is the mix of Fox's rules that fall into each category tends to change with each reading (I've read it three times in the last five years).
Why is this so? I suspect different concepts resonate at different points in your career, that your evolving experiences validate different rules at different times. For instance, I thought Fox was being a bit puritanical and uptight when I first read his rule about having a drink with the gang. Then I watched a fellow manager tie one on with his staff, which led to a round of truth-or-dare, which led to a level of intimacy that heightened tension in the office for months. I now get Fox's point, don't even open the door to the possibility (or as we Catholics call them, near occasions of sin!).
Read this book. Pick a few rules that really hit home for you. Try them on for size. Re-read it again every 18-24 months and try on a few more. While few are completely original, it's a pithy, pointed compendium of good rules by which to do business. |
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Gregory McHanan (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
This little book presents seventy-five lessons, or rules, for career success. The vast majority of the rules consists of short musings on people skills. Like most books giving advice on business and career success, the concepts are easily understood, but as always, are difficult to implement. Nonetheless, this guide to becoming the CEO offers a few precious nuggets of wisdom that anyone could use whether or not they have designs on becoming the Big Cheese or sitting in the top spot of any organization.
Several of the rules have relevance far beyond the boardroom. For example, Lesson 27- Don't Hide an Elephant- which deals with the impulse to ignore a festering and looming problem, sounds a lot like what the United States Congress (and more than a few presidential administrations) does on a routine basis. Other rules, such as Lesson 7- Never Write a Nasty Memo- can have painful personal relevance. I have committed the sin of violating this rule, with disastrous consequences. Please, whatever you do, don't break this rule.
From a business standpoint, I believe that lessons two, three and four, which deal with customers, are the most relevant. These three rules should remind you that if you have no customers, then you have no business being in business.
From a personal career advancement standpoint, the best lessons are Rules 40, 43, and 45, which remind us to listen, do our homework well if we want to be paid well, and most important, to communicate clearly and effectively by speaking and writing in plain English.
Managers and executives of all stripes should memorize Lessons 55 and 63 by heart, and live them every day at work. It really does pay to be on the constant lookout for good ideas, but one should never forget that once a good idea is discovered, realizing its potential is critical to success.
On a personal level, I believe everyone can get a lot of mileage out of Lessons 62 and 64. Lesson 62- Become A Member of the Shouldn't Have Club- contains a lot of truth. Though you may lament doing some things, they are often necessary to do in order to achieve a higher purpose. I can attest to the truth of the author's words from personal experience, "Each time you admonish yourself with "Gee, I shouldn't have done that", there will be ten other times when the results will prove that you should have."
However, Lesson 64- Record Your Mistakes with Care and Pride- is probably the most difficult lesson for all. Many advise us not to live in the past and not to obsess over failures and mistakes. However, we can learn more from our mis-steps than from our successes, and we can use failure to grow and become better people. Granted, this hard to imagine when one is failing or has failed, but in retrospect, it can be a powerful learning tool if used.
As an aside, Lesson 51- Stay Out of Office Politics- is an insightful and brilliant analysis of too many workplaces. Setting rife with politicking signal for all to see that no matter how beneficial the work or activity may be, they do not count for anything in that particular environment. To escape this pernicious hell, simply prove your worth and demonstrate your ability by working, and soon enough, someone will tap you for a spot in a setting where your work, effort and results do count for something.
I personally liked Lesson 34- Go to the Library Once a Month- as it warms my heart. The public library is a wonderful institution, and contrary to what the generals, spooks, and politicians say, is the most vital asset to our national security, and as such deserves our continued and unhesitating support.
This book makes an excellent gift for someone just beginning a career. I have a niece who is just starting out, and I think I will pass along a copy to her. It just may prove to be one investment that pays dividends now and later. |
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Robert Morris (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
Debra Benton has written two excellent books entitled How to Think Like a CEO. and How to Act Like a CEO. The title of Fox's is somewhat misleading. Very few executives ever become a CEO. In fact, that's not what his book is really all about. Like Benton, he focuses on "the rules for rising to the top of any organization." As Noel Tichy correctly asserts in The Leadership Engine, all organizations (regardless of size or nature) should constantly develop leadership at all levels. His book, Benton's two, and this book can all help executives to develop such leadership; also, to develop leadership skills in those for whom they are responsible.
Hemingway once suggested that all great writers "have a built-in, shock-proof crap detector." I was reminded of that as I read Fox's book. His is a no-nonsense, cut-to-the-chase, no-BS approach to executive development. Perhaps a few of his readers will become CEOs. Good for them. Most of his readers will not but, thanks to Fox, they will be much better-prepared to support their CEO while helping their associates to increase their own effectiveness in decision-making situations.
Fox organizes his material within 75 brief chapters which range from "Always Take the Job That Offers More Money" to "Do Not Get Discouraged by the Idea Killers." In Chapter LXVIII ("No Goals, No Glory"), for example, he asserts that "You must create a yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily "To Do" list. On your "To Do" list, write the things you have to do to reach your goals. On your daily "To Do" list, put some action that will get you closer to your long-range goals. This will keep you targeted." Nothing original here. However, in this instance and throughout the entire book, Fox focuses on what is practical rather than theoretical. I presume to add my own strong support of what I call the "The 3Ws Strategy": When meeting with associates to prioritize and then plan initiatives, insist on pinning down "Who will do what by when."
In the Epilogue, Fox observes: "Thank you for reading this book. Now, reopen your book to one or two random pages. Put your finger on a section and do what is written. You will be further on your way to becoming CEO." No cutting-edge thinking here but note, again, the emphasis on taking action. Years ago, I became convinced that below the CEO and COO levels, leadership is best defined in terms of initiative. I once helped to plan and implement an "electronic suggestion box" program for a major corporation. The best suggestion came from a man working in the mailroom who was about to retire: "Except for emergencies, why not limit next business day deliveries to emergencies only?" That suggestion saved the corporation approximately $200,000 a year. In this instance, the fellow in the mailroom thought like a CEO and recommended a specific initiative.
Fox has written a book which can be of immense value to those who aspire to occupy the CEO position but will be of even greater value to all the others whose career aspirations are less ambitious but who correctly sense that their leadership and management skills can become much more effective. Were I a CEO, I would require all of my executives (at least at the middle-to-senior levels) to read Benton's two books as well as Tichy's and Fox's. Then I would schedule what is generally referred to an "executive retreat" (preferably lasting at least two days and located offsite), with a task force committee having correlated and consolidated in advance the contents of the four books to create an agenda for the program.
With school, college, and university graduations rapidly approaching, Fox's book would also make an excellent gift for those interested in a business career. Just a thought.
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David Freeman (CEO, Loctite Corporation) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
A handbook on good management practices, an encyclopedia for future leaders and a reminder for all managers. |
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Terrance Noonan (Former President, Furon Corporation) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
Jeffrey truly captures all the essential ingredients necessary to run a company. I wish this had been available when I was beginning my career. |
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1 2 | Total 2 pages 12 items |
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