What The CEO Really Wants From You: Book Review

This book is a classic for young managers who need guidance and directions on how to charter a successful career


The author uses the frame work of “Four A’s” to describe the competency set and behaviors required of a successful manager. These A’s are Accomplishment, Affability, Advocacy and Authenticity. Briefly here is what he has to say of the four A’s.

Accomplishment: While this seems simple enough most managers make the mistake of thinking that all the doing is at the executive levels and their role is to be the thinkers. Coordinating and enabling execution is something that they miss out on. Also getting results needs influencing other interdependent departments which requires skills that a manager may not adequately possess.

Affability: Managers need to convince, cajole, coerce and even crucify people in the course of striving for results. It is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced to perfection. The affable manager knows how to disagree without being disagreeable; how to separate rivals views from his feelings or opinion about the rival and how to listen carefully with an open mind and yet be focused and single minded.

Advocacy: In the words of the author, “In the early stages of one’s career, you are the recipient of instructions and the effects of power. You accept them by adapting. You realize that the boss expects you to exercise your leadership on the people who report to you and make sure that things get done. In the middle management phase, you find the need to influence people without their directly reporting to you. In the senior and leadership roles, you may exercise no control over people you need to influence. This is the manner in which your skills of advocacy develop.

Authenticity: Once again in the words of the author “It is the perception of who you are and what you stand for that produces followership. Followership is used here not in a hierarchical sense but in an egalitarian sense. It is the voluntary desire or inclination among followers to follow a person, emotionally and physically.”

A must read