Wisdom for a Young CEO [Hardcover]

Doug Barry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2004

At 14 years of age, author Douglas Barry started wondering what to do with his life. That's when this precocious teenager began writing to CEOs of major companies to seek their advice on how to reach the top of the career ladder. The honest, heartfelt replies on finding success in the business world, from the CEOs of Eastman Kodak, McDonald's, Intel, Sprint, UPS, Viacom, and many other companies, provide inspiring life lessons for everyone. Wisdom for a Young CEO includes pithy tidbits, longer essays, sidebars, tips, quotes, and reminiscences from more than 100 of the country's business leaders, focusing on such character issues as honesty, hard work, being true to oneself, integrity, leadership, and interpersonal skills. In surprising detail, many describe turning points in their own careers, outlining difficult moral and ethical decisions they've faced. Douglas Barry is sure to garner publicity from widespread media.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the tender age of 12, author Barry decided that what he wanted most in life was to become the CEO of a major corporation. Unsure of where to begin (join the all the school clubs? raise his G.P.A.?), he wrote letters seeking advice from the CEOs of more than 150 major corporations. Most of them sent him personal letters back in response. Now, at the ripe age of 17, he shares their wisdom in this compelling collection of letters and quotes from chief executives at companies like Johnson & Johnson, Viacom, Dow, Kraft and Southwest Airlines. The advice is carefully arranged into chapters on passion, respect, vision, humanity, curiosity, integrity and pragmatism, each prefaced with an engaging introduction. The letters themselves do contain a fair number of cliches, but there are also quite a few passages of wisdom. A.G. Lafley, chairman and CEO of Proctor & Gamble, writes that great leaders "have deeply held values that guide their choices." Reuben Mark, chairman and CEO of Colgate Palmolive, explains that leaders should communicate simply. "Express your ideas in terms everyone can grasp. No one can follow a road map they can’t read." In the end, readers—whether they are just embarking on a career or are veterans of the working world—can find ideas to inform and inspire them here.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Douglas Barry attends Tulane University. He wrote, Wisdom for a Young CEO, when he was 14-years old.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Running Press (April 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762418311
• ISBN-13: 978-0762418312
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,229,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wisdom for a Young CEO by Barry, August 14, 2004

By 

Joseph S. Maresca "Dr. Joseph S. Maresca CPA,... (Bronxville, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wisdom for a Young CEO (Hardcover)

This book would be excellent for an aspiring CEO or someone
planning to own his/her business. The author advises to
do something that we like intensely. A CEO must remember that
the people in the organization are the first priority.
CEOs should be honest and pragmatic in all of their business
dealings. The key words are to "look, listen and learn".
Above all, good leaders tend to be humble. Being humble
does not necessarily mean being servile. It is an absence of
blind pride in favor of agreeableness in the corporate culture.
The book is an excellent value for a wide constituency of
businesspeople, students and budding entrepreneurs.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars this is the tiny 3" x 3.5" version of the book, March 23, 2006

By 

R. Ma (CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wisdom For A Young CEO (Running Press Miniature Editions) (Hardcover)

I was looking for the "big" book, and when it arrived, I was quite surprised to find a little 3" x 3.5" by .5" book.

1 star to make sure people know what they are getting.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do NOT buy this on the Kindle. Recommend print edition., March 14, 2010

By 

BestofJess (Kansas City, MO) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wisdom for a Young CEO (Kindle Edition)

For the record, I like the content, but I mistakenly bought the Kindle version of the book and all the CEO letters are JPGs; they come out miniscule on the screen and don't zoom! I'm going to have to buy the print version just to get what I wanted from the book:the advice of CEOs in their own words.