The Secrets of CEOs: 150 Global Chief Executives Lift the Lid on Business, Life and Leadership [Hardcover]

Steve Tappin (Author), Andrew Cave (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

With unprecedented access to some of the world's most high profile executives, The Secrets of CEOs: 150 Global Chief Executives Lift the Lid on Business, Life and Leadership tells us what life is really like at the top and how to cope with the pressures of top-flight business, both professionally and personally. The book features in-depth interviews with some of the West's most influential CEOs, such as Sir Martin Sorrell (WPP Group), Mike Burner (BAE Systems), Ben Verwaayen (BT Group), and Sir Terry Leahy (Tesco), as well as emerging market CEOs like Narayana Murthy (Infosys) and Alexei Mordashov (Severstad). Authors Steve Tappin and Andrew Cave reveal the issues that really affect CEOs, from globalization to the rise of sovereign wealth funds in capital markets to necessary compromises in the work-life balance. They explore the key initiatives these influential executives have used to fundamentally reshape their businesses and the ways that they develop talent. Tappin and Cave provide a radical view of future corporate leadership and the qualities that leaders will be required to have as well as practical advice for the aspiring 21st century super leader.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It turns out it's lonely at the top, after all, according to the 150 top chief executives whose interviews are compiled in this richly informative collection from businessmen Tappin and Cave. The interviewees—including such heavy hitters as Sir Terry Leahy of Tesco and Lord John Browne of BP—speak frankly and in depth about their motivations and key business strategies. In a useful taxonomy, the guide divides business professionals into five main leadership approaches—commercial executors, financial value drivers, corporate entrepreneurs, corporate ambassadors and global missionaries—and describes the changing role of a CEO in a rapidly changing marketplace, illustrating how leaders have successfully addressed issues such as sustainability, alternative capital and attracting Web users and talent. There are grim cautionary reminders that professional success often requires a choice between family and career, and that the job of CEO should come with a serious health warning. The content is thoughtful and well-reasoned, peppered with enthusiastic encouragement from the likes of Tony Robbins, but hampered by its appeal to already-established CEOs (not up-and-comers) and heavily British-leaning research. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Inside Flap

Being a CEO should be one of the best jobs in the world, offering the chance to make a real difference. But real life for most CEOs is tough and many are finding it very demanding. Steve Tappin and Andrew Cave have interviewed over 150 of the world's leading CEOs at length to discover their thoughts on the reality of leadership, life and business.

The Secrets of CEOs gives fascinating insights into where today's top leaders have come from and what motivates and drives them, as well as the best kind of apprenticeship to become a global leader. It also explores the secrets of dealing successfully with the five facts of life that will be critical to business success in the coming decade:
* Profiting from hard globalization
* Decoding sustainability
* Surfing the third wave of the web
* Coping with a capital crunch
* Waging the first world war for talent
How do chief executives really run their businesses? How do they need to change to ensure that their companies are successful and sustainable in the 21st century? And is it possible to have career success and a happy personal life? Discover the answers to these questions and much more in this provocative and stimulating book.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857885139
• ISBN-13: 978-1857885132
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,269,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informed analysis of CEOs and what drives them, October 5, 2009

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Secrets of CEOs: 150 Global Chief Executives Lift the Lid on Business, Life and Leadership (Hardcover)

Famous chief executive officers (CEOs) have an aura of invincibility. But scandals and failures have engulfed many infamous CEOs who ultimately lost their powerful jobs. And avoiding risk is no guarantee of top-job security. Many companies want their CEOs to serve as agents of change, not caretakers. How do successful CEOs stay on top? The answer depends on their style of leadership. Today, most chief executives are superb managers or bold entrepreneurs. Others are visionaries or astute diplomats. To find out what motivates CEOs and how they think about leadership, Steve Tappin and Andrew Cave conducted comprehensive interviews with 150 chief executives and compiled their findings in this book. getAbstract recommends their work to anyone who wants to know how CEOs think and act.

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine review of leading CEOs and their thoughts on leadership and business, December 17, 2009

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secrets of CEOs: 150 Global Chief Executives Lift the Lid on Business, Life and Leadership (Hardcover)

The Secrets of CEOs: 150 GLOBAL CHIEF EXECUTIVES LIFT THE LID ON BUSINESS, LIFE AND LEADERSHIP provides a fine review of leading CEOs and their thoughts on leadership and business, and is an ongoing recommendation for any interested in CEO insights. From profiting from hard globalization and surfing the next web rendition to coping with the first world war for talent, THE SECRETS OF CEOS should be in every business library.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I don't read business books but..., December 3, 2008

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Mf Green - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Secrets of CEOs: 150 Global Chief Executives Lift the Lid on Business, Life and Leadership (Hardcover)

"I must admit I'm not a great reader of business books." This quote opens the foreword from Richard Branson to a book that really does stand out from the usual management-speak, there-is-only-one-way standard in this field. Tappin and Cave demonstrate that the world's top CEOs think about their jobs in very different ways - from prowling the shop floor to consulting their horoscopes. They also draw out some of the emerging trends in the global economy (the changing nature of globalisation, the acceptance that sustainability is bottom line issue, the search for global talent) in a light and informative way that makes this much more than a book of profiles of the powerful. Although I'm not sure if comparing CEOs to Frodo Baggins makes a lot of sense!