I was an internal CEO succession candidate from 2016 to 2024. Though I was not selected, these eight years were full of learning and growth. I did not find any educational programs that help aspiring CEOs to prepare for the role and finding good CEO mentors is even harder. CEO job is a unique role and nothing in the ranks prepares you for the job. As the saying goes, it is very lonely at the top. I highly recommend finding a good coach to help you navigate the process.
There is no CEO school, but fortunately there is a lot of literature on the topic. As part of my personal development, I read more than 50 books relevant to the CEO role and my circumstances. I have distilled the list to my top 10 books. If you want the complete list or want me to narrow it to the top 3, please reach out to me. I also have good recommendations on navigating politics and power dynamics, which unfortunately I learned a bit too late and paid the price for it.
Whether you are an aspiring CEO or are already a CEO, I highly recommend reading these books for continuous development and elevating your game. Wishing you success and fulfillment in your journey.
These books are sorted by title, not in order of recommendation.
60-Minute CEO
by Dick Cross
The premise of this book evolve around allocating 60 minutes a week to thinking time. The author recommends that CEOs should be thinking about the business as a whole and is it realizing its full potential. Most CEOs’ calendars are filled with to-dos, and it is very easy to be busy, but that it not what the job demands.
CEO Excellence
by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra
Given that 30% of CEOs last less than 3 years and 45% fail within first 18 months, the authors extensively studied thousands of CEOs, commissioned by McKinsey, to understand what makes a CEO successful and good at job. The book lists six key responsibilities of a CEO: 1) Set the Direction, 2) Align People, 3) Mobilize Teams, 4) Engage the Board, 5) Connect with Stakeholders, and 6) Enhance Personal Effectiveness. The book provides excellent guidance and examples for CEOs to navigate each of these six aspects of the CEO job.
CEO School
by Stanislav Shekshnia, Kirill Kravchenko, Elin Williams
This book synthesizes lessons learned from interviews with carefully chosen 20 CEOs from wide range of industries and geographies. The authors list the defining traits of a CEO (curiosity, ambition and passion), key functions of the CEO role, and what it takes to reach and stay in the job.
HBR’s 10 Must Reads for CEOs
by Harvard Business Review
This is a collection of 10 Harvard Business Review articles published by various authors. Despite being written by different authors, the articles are very well stung together to provide excellent overview on the strategic nature of the CEO job and how to lead the organization through ever changing business environment, attracting and retaining talent, building the right strategy for your business, and managing relationships with the Board and stakeholders.
From the CEO’s Perspective
by Teri Citterman
Teri Citterman interviewed 20 CEOs and compiled a book packed with wisdom and lessons learned the-hard-way by these CEOs. There is no recipe of success for the CEO role or single approach fits all situations, so it is great to learn different perspectives, personalities and adapt these lessons to your own unique circumstances. Citterman gives you a peek into the minds of brains of these high performing CEOs and how they overcome everyday challenges.
Humor, Seriously
by Jennifer Aaker, Naomi Bagdonas
At the face of it, this book does not belong here, but I highly recommend you read this book. The power of humor is underestimated in today’s hard driving business environment, but humor is a great tool for building trust, increasing employee engagement, navigating high stakes situations and countless other scenarios author listed. Above all, you do not need to be a comedian to cultivate humor and levity..
Leadership and Self-Deception
by Arbinger Institute
At the face of it, this book does not belong here, but I highly recommend you read this book. The power of humor is underestimated in today’s hard driving business environment, but humor is a great tool for building trust, increasing employee engagement, navigating high stakes situations and countless other scenarios author listed. Above all, you do not need to be a comedian to cultivate humor and levity..
Measure What Matters
by John Doerr
Even though this is a strategy book, which applicable to all leadership roles, the CEO bears the ultimate responsibility for setting the strategic direction and ensuring the execution of the strategy. John Doerr popularized the term OKR (Objectives and Key Results) in Silicon Valley and VC community spread the concept globally. OKR is a framework for identifying the most important objectives and establishing key metrics for measuring progress. OKRs are a strategic tool for creating organizational alignment and commitment towards key business outcomes. They create focus and promote flexibility toward achieving the overarching goal than focusing on siloed functions.
The CEO Test
by Adam Bryant
This is another excellent book that emphasizes that there few tasks that the CEO has the ultimate responsibility, including strategy, culture, teams and leading transformation. Being an effective CEO requires having good listening skills, evaluating opposing views objectively, and mastering the inner game of leadership. The higher up you go in leadership ranks, the intensity and consequences of your actions grow exponentially, so developing resilience and mental toughness becomes imperative.
The Five Temptations of a CEO
by Patrick Lencioni
Patrick Lencioni is known for writing fable style leadership books and this is no different. The author lists five temptations that can derail the best leaders: choosing status over results, popularity over accountability, choosing certainty over clarity, choosing harmony over conflict, and lastly choosing invulnerability over trust. The author uses fictional characters to discern practical advice and strategies to catch yourself falling pay to these temptations.
Jag Randhawa 