Customer Reviews

Motivate Like a CEO: Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act!

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I figured since I am a CEO, I should figure out how to motivate like a CEO so I read the book called, "Motivate Like A CEO Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act!" by Suzanne Bates.

The first chapter resonated a lot with me. The gist of the message is summarized by one of the quotes, "Purpose is necessary, critical to a happy, healthy, and successful life". The message is that purpose is essential for motivation. The challenge is that people are motivated by different things. People work for a pay cheque but they live for a purpose. The first step in leading an organization is to be in touch with your own purpose.

The second chapter talks about the eight principles of motivating others through communication. In her previous book, Bates wrote "Speaking Like a CEO" and much of her topic was on communications. This book further re-emphasizes that with eight principles which include:

1) Begins with you -- your purpose and passion.
2) Communicate a clear powerful mission.
3) Learn what motivates people.
4) Make personal connections with others.
5) Make the conversation about them (like Stephen Covey's first law -- Seek first to understand).
6) Praise recognize and reward.
7) Walk the talk.
8) Empower people (I am big on this one. I don't believe any organization is scaleable unless people are empowered to do the right thing). Any leader is very limited if they expect to control and do everything themselves.

The book has exercises on how to discover your purpose; how to connect with people to purpose; link the what with the why, etc.

The book absolutely needs to be written. It is clear that good leaders need to inspire people and the book gives a lot of the reasons why they need to be inspired and some examples on how some people were inspired. I think in some cases it is harder to put into action some of the ideas in real-life.

I found the book to be an easy read and very well laid out. I like the summaries at the end of the chapters and you could read just the insert boxes to understand the book.

It is a good, well written book for any leader.

As a coach, advisor and consultant, I have found this book to be invaluable; especially during these tumultuous times. During crisis some leaders have a tendency to default to a more tactical style, and this book helps to bring us all back to understanding the most important elements of being an inspiring leader - connecting with the people you are leading, caring about their well being and conveying your own passion and optimism.

Having read (and enjoyed) Bates previous book "Speak like a CEO" I was curious to see where she would go with "Motivate like a CEO". The author doesn't disappoint: the style is direct and to the point. The book first reminds us that we can and often do make a difference in the world. True success comes from motivating others to join them in making a difference. Bates show us the successful techniques necessary to motivate employees or others in a way that enhances their lives as well as those around them. Excellent book - able to take ideas immediately and put them into practice.

This book is great. It gives wonderful tips with great definitions of why these tips work. It really is one of those books you just can't put down.

Suzanne teaches you the why, how, what of these key points in Motivate Like a CEO....a must read for today's up and comer:

· A motivated work force is the key to unlocking the potential of your organization and thriving as a company

· It's a leader's job to inspire people and connect them with purpose and passion

· Leaders need to learn what motivates others because everyone is different

· The skill leaders must cultivate is the ability to communicate a vision in a powerful way that inspires people to act

· The first principle of Motivate Like a CEO is it begins with you - your purpose and passion

We think we know what motivates others, but often we are mistaken. As a case and point, a leading law firm recently announced that it had offered all of its 1000 associates a year off with 1/3 pay. The firm's management was caught flat-footed by the large numbers of young professionals who applied for the offer. The managing partners thought only a handful would be interested, with the rest focused like a laser--as the older partners had once been--on their careers. Not the case.

What I love about Suzanne Bates' "Motivate Like a CEO" is that she makes you really think about what motivates others, and then gives you specific tools to do so. The first chapter, "Eight Principles for Motivating Others Through Communication" is worth the price of the book. These principles include: Identify a clear purpose; communicate a powerful mission; learn what motivates others; make a personal connection; and make the conversation about them. The rest of the book has great chapters which spell out a series of communications techniques and strategies to engage and motivate the people in your department or broader organization.

"Motivate Like a CEO" is well written, engaging, and full of excellent examples and cases. If you are in any kind of leadership position, whether in a small team or at the top of a large enterprise, this is a must-read.

A self-taught Internet entrepreneur, I'm in my 11th year of leading my company. I never thought I needed business training or an MBA; however, as my company matures, I find that different skills are needed to help it continue to prosper. Motivate Like a CEO is giving me a roadmap to one of the most important skills, especially during this time of change and growth: giving my team what it needs to deliver the goods every day. Bates' easy-reading style and concrete, real world examples make this a book I'll pass around to my colleagues - and read again.

If you are looking for just one all-purpose book full of useful and concrete advice for running your business, your career, or your life-- this is it! Suzanne Bates has created a practical and inspiring manual using real-life case studies that we can all apply. Her sense of timing for the release of this book is eerily perfect, since who doesn't need to motivate others (and themselves) in these "special" times! I have been working on a presentation for later this week and I have been poring over chapters 9, 10 and 11. Suzanne, thank you!

Suzanne Bates has certainly done it again. Her first book, Speak like a CEO taught me how to become a better public speaker, and how to command an audience, something I have definitely benefited from. Her latest book, however, teaches something more, something I find to be very useful regardless of who you are. In these tough times it is vital for all of us to remain motivated to continue our work, day in and out, and know that we are making a difference, which is the message that Suzanne shares with all of us. Whether you are a CEO or a Junior Executive, being able to communicate with your entire team in a way that is inspiring and motivational is extremely important. What is even better, is that the lessons she shares in her book are not only useful for the boardroom, but for all aspects of life. From being able to communicate an important lesson to a room full of top level executives, or having to motivate your students to study for their exam, everyone can take away the lesson from this book, which makes it a truly great read.

Well done, Suzanne!

I needed Suzanne's clear and concise outline when I did layoffs several years ago. Now others can benefit from from her thoughtful directions on how to keep and inspire colleagues in difficult times. Suzanne makes the murky seem clear, obvious and easy to execute. I took her first book Speak Lie a CEO to heart and have enjoyed public speaking where I was fearful before. Now I can practice the principles she has outlined her her latest book to reinforce morale in tough times and good. Thank you, Suzanne.