CEO Material

DA Benton, McGraw-Hill,  2009


Debra Benton is a successful consultant and author, with a long list of top drawer clients. She has previously written best-selling books including Executive Charisma, and How to Act like a CEO.

This book is sub-titled ‘How to be a Leader in any Organization‘ but could almost be sub-titled ‘Debra’s Book of Lists,’ because each chapter contains lists of characteristics and is filled with exhortations of what you should do if you want to to be regarded as a potential CEO. In her Conclusion chapter she actually lists 365 things you should do – one for each day of the year – to get yourself regarded as potential CEO material.

The author follows the same approach in each chapter. First, she gives a short bulleted list of key elements in the chapter topic. This bulleted list generally contains three points, each of which becomes a section heading a little later on. A couple of these lists are slightly longer. Then she lists the behaviors that a budding CEO should exhibit to demonstrate competence in the topic area. The list for Chapter 1 Have a Good Track Record, for example identifies 20 such behaviors, though this is the longest list in the book.

There is nothing exceptionable in the book, but nor is there really anything new, though the author makes some very insightful observations. Some of the chapter headings may raise eyebrows however. You Feel Broadly Adequate (chapter 5) could be one such.

She does sometimes resort to making recommendations that make good sense, but gives no clue as to how to implement them, which is the major weakness in the book. An exhortation with no real advice on how to make it happen seems to me to be not so valuable. Likewise, some of the headings are broader than the actual topics. One of the three key points bulleted in chapter 1, for example, is Develop People Relationships. No one would argue with that as a useful attribute for a budding CEO, but the section dealing with the attribute is almost all about the importance of a good mentor. No one would gainsay that either, but there is more to good people relationships than having a good mentor, I feel.

Much of the content of the book is derived from interviews with around 200 practicing CEOs, and throughout the book, the points the author is making are supported by direct quotes from these CEOs. The  quotes are not specifically ascribed, however., at the request of the CEOs concerned.

If you are aiming for the top, then this book can give you some useful pointers that may help you get there.

Stand by for the next posting

Bob