Your Inner CEO: Unleash the Executive Within (Hardcover)

~ Allan Cox (Author)
Key Phrases: guardian presence, looming threat, Usually Often Sometimes Seldom, Jim Metcalf, San Diego (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"A funny thing happened on my way to the corner office."

Allan Cox, noted author and consultant who has worked with, recruited, and coached the CEOs of many leading corporations, hears variations on that theme every day.

Helping top executives answer the difficult questions about performance, leadership, relationships, and success has taught Cox a lot about what it takes to master the top job. In this ground-breaking book, he shares these secrets with you, whether you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 Company, president of the local school board, the managing partner of a law firm, the founder of a brand-new start-up, or simply the head of a "corporation of one."

To succeed in the top job, people must attain grounding, a confident and accurate self-awareness that can guide them through all the tough situations and decisions they'll encounter as a leader. Your Inner CEO teaches leaders exactly how to attain that grounding, get in touch with their "inner CEO," and unleash its full power.

With numerous case studies, war stories, practical tools, and exercises, Your Inner CEO turns a new philosophy of leadership into a practical, applied program that can help anyone become a world-class leader. You'll learn to uncover your hidden goals, face your fears, summon your strengths, and propel yourself towards the future you want.

From the Back Cover

"Cox destroys many shibboleths about American business."
--John C. Whitehead, former Deputy U.S. Secretary of State and co-managing partner, Goldman Sachs

"...Allan Cox is one of the most original, practical, and energetic of today's management gurus."
--New Management magazine, USC Business School

"[Allan's] creative insights are uncannily perceptive and capable of enriching the life of anyone who has a position of responsibility."
--Scott DeGarmo, editor-in-chief, Success magazine

"Cox manages at least one thought-provoking idea per page."
--Chicago Sun-Times

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Career Press; 1st edition (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564149552
• ISBN-13: 978-1564149558
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #341,748 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, Excellent, Practical, Insightful, Enlightened, November 26, 2007

By	Dr. Chris Hartnett (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Thank you Mr. Cox, you are a Master Teacher and you have another winner here in this very compelling book.

Allan Cox's book, "Your Inner CEO", is a true gem and hidden treasure for any executive. It will soon be recognized as a business classic, carefully prepared and documented by a seasoned expert who knows the ropes and has been there, on the front lines, numerous times. It should be required reading for anyone who aspires to be a CEO, is a CEO or finds themselves thrust into a position of leadership and wants to effect true and constructive change within themselves and in the lives of those in his or her environment or field of influence.

Cox systematically shows the reader how to dive within and do the inner house cleaning and self-evaluation and self-discovery needed for one to be clear, effective, productive, practical and powerful on the surface. Highly recommended, especially for those who understand and believe that the top job and head position is open and available to those that have the courage to look within and gently, effortlessly yet constructively, face their weaknesses.

It is refreshing to see that this book truly delivers and helps the reader rediscover, re-boot and get in touch with their hidden goals, unique talents, and core strengths in order to be an effective, confident, enlightened leader.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awareness, Wholeness, and Your Destiny, November 11, 2007

By	Thomas M. Loarie (Danville, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I began today watching an interview with Alicia Keys (CBS Sunday Morning), American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, pianist, actress, and author. Keys has sold over twenty million albums worldwide and has won numerous awards including nine Grammy Awards, eleven Billboard Music Awards, and three American Music Awards. Keys's success story is relevant to Allan Cox's "Your Inner CEO" and why it is an important read.

Keys signed a contract with Columbia records at age 16. Within a short period of time, she realized she had made a mistake. Columbia did not understand her or her music so they pushed her "to change" her style and be more like a young Madonna or Brittany Spears. This did not fit with Alicia's vision, mission, or "Style-of-Life" as her primary interest was to bring her unique brand of music to the public, not fame and fortune. She got out of her contract and was quickly picked up by recording wizard Clive Davis. Davis told her to be herself. The rest is history.

There is no faster way to create enduring unhappiness than to act against your beliefs, your desired "Style-of-Life," your personal vision, and your mission. When we act against ourselves, we betray our soul and our destiny.

Unfortunately, today's reality is that most of us today live in a world where people seem to be acting contrary to their beliefs with an ever-increasing frequency, living divided lives. The divided life has its attraction or we would not be drawn to it but it comes at a very real cost to ourselves and to the people around us. It is manifested in restlessness, disease, a reduced ability to contribute positively to society, and an inability to experience joy to the denial of selfhood, a general discontentedness, and the inability to engage in meaningful relationships.

Author Cox explores the "divided life" and provides a way to determine what goals are really guiding our life, if we are on the path that is our true destiny, and how to fix them if we are not. He then extrapolates this to teams and organizations.

Cox is a keen observer of performance, happiness, and the "fulfilled destiny." Like Ram Charan, Pat Lencioni, and others, he has worked with and observed hundreds of senior executives and leaders over the span of three plus decades.

Cox, a disciple of psychiatrist Alfred Adler, builds on Adler's concept of "Indivisible Psychology" which is committed to the flowering of the person based on discovery and expression of our unique wholeness-- our true indivisibility. The book begins with an exercise to discover hidden goals. The central goal that governs your life for better or worse, and the same for such a goal for your organization itself is an expression of purpose--for good or ill. Goals are engines of attraction, pulling you into the future in a way that either enhances your life or derails it. With guided self-examination you can ferret out these goals and rid yourself of them if they threaten you or nurture them if they support you.

"Your Inner CEO" begins with exploring existing and desired "Style-of-Life", vision, and mission. "Style-of-Life" centers on our organized convictions about life, which, at best, we are only dimly aware of. It has three elements: self-image - who am I?; worldview - what life do I lead?; and, a central Goal - what pulls me forward (the attractor which is either a looming threat or guardian presence). These three elements shape our actions and reactions.

Cox guides us in recognizing lost dreams and values, and the boundaries that keep us unaware and inept. Cox then provides exercises for developing "boundary competence" - the ability to cross a boundary that separates a dull life from an extraordinary life of a destiny fulfilled.

Success in the long run has less to do with finding the best idea or business model than it does with discovering what matters to us as individuals. Extraordinary people, teams, and organizations are simply ordinary people doing extraordinary things that truly matter to them and overcoming boundaries that limit awareness and performance. Extraordinary requires self-awareness and courage.

So as you lay plans for your career, your team, or your company, implement the steps necessary to excel. "Inner CEO" provides the framework and the necessary steps. "Inner CEO" requires time and attention to reap its rewards, but the rewards are great - wholeness and a compass that will point you to your destiny.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's about life!, October 24, 2007

By	William J. White - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Alan Cox has done it again. In this book he continually asks you to get real! He asks you to discover your, or your organization's, true essence with a series of exercises.

Whether it is business or personal, his ideas will help you better understand what's driving your decisions.

Once you discover these hidden strengths you can elevate your performance making a greater contribution to your company.
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As a retired Chairman/CEO, and now Professor and Author his many examples, insights and leading questions will make me a better mentor, board member and overall a better manager.