That was not all. He asked for my address so that he could send a copy of his eighth book, Your Inner CEO: Unleash the Executive Within
.Here was this great, accomplished author and he wanted to send "little me" his latest book. I couldn’t believe what I was reading! It was indeed very generous of him and I am truly grateful for the book.
Allan Cox never asked for a review. However, I wanted to do something in return. I know this is not much, but here is my honest review of the book.
"CEO, um.. I have a long way to go" were my initial thoughts based on the title. All that changed when I read the first sentence of the introduction.
Every time you start a new job, you go back to square one.
Don’t I know that too well!Having switched to a new job a few months ago I could relate well to what he was talking about.
Browsing Through - Your Inner CEO: Unleash the Executive Within.
Chapter 1 Goals sets a foundation by urging you to recognize lost dreams and desires. In doing so he asks you to look deeper into our style-of-life.
Chapter 2 Changes prepare you to connect goals to those beliefs and desires. You are asked to traverse the boundary that separates the fear and self-doubt from courage and conviction.
Chapter 3 Facades looks into the importance of continually excavating your organization’s style-of-life. It also focuses on how to discover the overlap between your organization’s ideal and real personalities. Towards the end it talks of the importance of mastering the art of meditation.
Chapter 4 Boundaries reminds you that you are always moving away, toward or against someone or something, and that knowledge has great significance for you and your world. It advises you to distinguish between the apparent and the real purpose of a boundary, thereby giving you the means to define accurately any situation you face.
Chapter 5 Boards helps you gain awareness of the new board accountability that has emerged. You’ll learn how to prepare, plan and execute good board meetings.
It also highlights that you will accomplish more with less control, by relinquishing illusion of control.
Chapter 6 Visions talks of two vision faces. First, vision hear-and-now, and second vision there and then. You’ll learn that who you are as a company now, is the single best indicator of who you are going to be.
Chapter 7 Futures stresses that small decisions confirm an agenda for better or for worse. It helps to articulate your company’s style-of-life, vision, and mission in a fresh compelling way.
Chapter 8 Models suggests that you are like all other people, like some other people, and like no other person. It gives a guide to write your centering statements. That you never reach the wall; the journey never ends.
Chapter 9 Mentors states that good mentoring induces autonomy in others and that mentors can come from any background. It emphasizes that mentoring relies on full frontal contact networking, and positive grounded leadership.
My favorite excerpt
Boundaries...define every situation, even though you often have to peer behind the facade to get to it...If you can't identify the purpose behind whatever situation you're examining, you'll never know its true nature, and...it will continue to baffle you...the purpose of even a simple, everyday object may lie far beneath your initial understanding of it. Take a humble meeting room chair, for example. You know its purpose: to provide you with a seat at the conference. But that's only its apparent purpose. Look more closely at it...That chair wasn't built for you, it was built for hotel management that needs to stack hundreds of chairs in a compact space. It's lightweight, sturdy and stackable; it can be transported easily, stored with others in a closet, and it can work as well in a dining room as in a conference room. That's reality.
Overall
Allan Cox, doesn’t allow you to just read a chapter and forget about it. At the end of each chapter you will find an "Inner CEO Punch List". This list helps you look deeper and apply what you read to your life and/or your company.
In its entity, I believe this book is a cornucopia of research-proven tips, techniques, and resources to help you maximize your potential for success. It will change your life in ways that will make you a better leader.
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