At 14 years of age, Douglas Barry started wondering what to do with his life. That's when this precocious teenager began writing to CEOs of major companies to seek their advice on how to reach the top of the career ladder. The honest, heartfelt replies on finding success in the business world, from the CEOs of Eastman Kodak, Intel, McDonald's, Sprint, UPS, Viacom, and many other companies, provide inspiring life lessons for everyone. WISDOM FOR A YOUNG CEO includes tidbits, essays, tips, quotes, and reminiscences from more than 100 of the country's business leaders, focusing on such character issues as honesty, hard work, leadership, and interpersonal skills. In surprising detail, many describe turning points in their own careers, outlining difficult moral and ethical decisions they've faced. Annotation. With a focus on issues like honesty, hard work, being true to one's self, and leadership, more than one hundred of this country's business leaders provide detailed insights on how to succeed in the business world by responding to a 14 year olds letters.

At age fourteen, Douglas Barry wondered what to do with his life. The precocious, career-minded teen started writing to CEOs to find out what it took to become a successful business leader. Here’s the Miniature Edition™ of the book that resulted from their responses—and it’s a perfect gift for the spring graduation market.

Ben Casnocha discovered he was entrepreneur at age 12 and hasn't slowed down since. In this remarkably instructive book, Ben dissects the entrepreneurship "gene," explaining that everyone has inherited it if they have an idea to make the world a better place. In Casnocha's case, he found a better way for city governments to communicate with constituents on the Web. Six years later, Comcate has dozens of municipal clients, a growing staff, and a record of excellence. This book is the story of his start-up, but also a conversation with his mentors, clients and fellow entrepreneurs about how to make a business idea work?and how to have the time of your life trying. From Pat Lencioni to Marc Benioff of salesforce.com, Ben has won over the best and brightest of the business world?now it's your turn!

Have you always known what you wanted to be in life? What are some “watershed moments” that made you who you are? When did you get on track to become a successful CEO? It started with three questions at Davos. The younger Peter Vanham looked to the answers from the elite leaders he asked to validate his own career choice, and the rich, private wisdom he received revealed more about building a career than he’d found anywhere else. He shares it all with you in Before I Was CEO. For everyone who lays awake at night wondering if they’re heading up or down the corporate ladder, this collection of personal stories from a remarkable group of the most accomplished men and women in business today proves everyone can put themselves in the C-suite by taking a variety of different paths—it’s all how you do it. Some found opportunity through adversity and others came by their big-break moments through serendipity. A group of them walked away from corporate life and lived in other ways and all of them made calculated moves to advance their careers. In their own words, read how it all unfolded, the tough decisions they wrestled, the risks and rewards they saw, and how it all came together. You don’t need a royal pedigree or Ivy League education to reach the top as long as you: • Value family, leave home, and make informed decisions based on your dreams • Take the first thirty-five years of your life to discover what you’re interested in and don’t rush to be a CEO • Strategically deal with failure, remember the lessons you learned, and adapt to situations you can’t change You aren’t the first person to be at the crossroads you’re standing in, and with the motivating and instructive stories in Before I Was CEO, you may be answering a young journalist’s questions at Davos one day.

"Based on extensive interviews with today's . . . corporate leaders, this look at how the best CEOs do their jobs focuses on the mindsets and actions that foster an environment of excellence"--