> Skip to content
Play sample
  • Published: 8 March 2018
  • ISBN: 9780753553046
  • Imprint: Virgin Digital
  • Format: Audio Download
  • Length: 8 hr 51 min
  • Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
  • RRP: $19.99

The CEO Next Door

The 4 Behaviours that Transform Ordinary People into World Class Leaders




Drawing on the biggest dataset of CEOs in the world, full of myth-busting and counter-intuitive insight: unveils the top attributes of global leaders and how to apply them to your own career

Random House presents the audiobook edition of The CEO Next Door by Elena Botelho and Kim Powell with Tahl Raz, read by Bernadette Dunne.

Everything you thought you knew about becoming a CEO is wrong. You must graduate from an elite college or business school. In fact, only 7 percent of the CEOs of today's companies went to a top school--and 8 percent didn't graduate from college at all. Never put a foot wrong. In fact, people who have become CEOs have on average had five to seven career setbacks on their way to the top.

Drawing on the biggest dataset of CEOs in the world -- in-depth analysis of 2,600 leaders, drawn from a database of 17,000 CEOs, as well as 13,000 hours of interviews -- The CEO Next Door is crammed full of myth-busting and counter-intuitive insights in what it really takes to get ahead. Discover the way actual CEOs of top companies think and behave, and the kind of traits to develop if you want to make your ambitions a reality and take your career right to the top.

  • Published: 8 March 2018
  • ISBN: 9780753553046
  • Imprint: Virgin Digital
  • Format: Audio Download
  • Length: 8 hr 51 min
  • Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
  • RRP: $19.99

About the authors

Elena Botelho

ELENA L. BOTELHO has advised more than 200 CEOs and boards in nearly two decades, first as a strategy consultant at McKinsey and currently as a top-billing senior partner at ghSMART. She grew up in Azerbaijan and Russia in a family of mathematicians. She earned her MBA from Wharton. Her life's work is to be a "greatness catalyst," helping others reach their full potential.

Tahl Raz

Tahl Raz is a storyteller of big ideas in business, technology and the social sciences that are transforming the way we work and live. An award-winning journalist and best-selling author, he has edited and published in everything from Inc. Magazine and GQ to Harvard Business Review and the Jerusalem Post. Management guru Tom Peters called his first co-authored book, “Never Eat Alone,” one of “the most extraordinary and valuable business books” of recent history. The book is still in hardcover over a decade later and is now used as a textbook in MBA programs around the world. He has held roles as a Chief Content Officer, CEO of an online education company called MyGreenLight, and founder and editor-in-chief of Jewcy Media. He lives in New York City with his wife, daughter, and a very fat Pug named Bibi.

Kim Powell

KIMBERLY POWELL is a principal at ghSMART, where she works with clients in the areas of management assessment, leaderhsip coaching, and organization change initiatives. Previously, she worked for fifteen years with the Boston Consulting Group, advising CEOs and senior managers of Fortune 500 companies. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, and was an F. C. Austin Scholar at the Kellogg Schoool of Management at Northwestern University.

Praise for The CEO Next Door

What does it take to succeed at the top? Botelho and Powell offer the answer — and it’s not what you think. Whether you’re running a large organization, or simply have your eye on the corner office, this book should be your guide

Daniel Pink, bestselling author of DRIVE

Well-researched, practical and eye-opening... The CEO Next Door is like having 2,600 mentors take you under their wing

Shawn Achor, New York Times bestselling author of THE HAPPINESS ADVANTAGE and BIG POTENTIAL

The CEO Next Door is the go-to guide for every aspiring professional ... it weaves together cutting edge leadership research with practical advice and inspiring stories to create a useful and credible roadmap

Marshall Goldsmith, #1 Leadership Thinker

An indispensable guide for any aspiring professional

Laszlo Bock, bestselling author of WORK RULES!, and former SVP of People at Google

Invaluable for anyone looking to raise their leadership to a higher level... their book isn’t leaving my desk as I prepare to step into the CEO role

Tim Buckley, CEO of The Vanguard Group

Debunks a host of myths about what it takes to become a CEO ... You won’t ever look at the corner office in the same way again.

Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of GIVE AND TAKE, ORIGINALS, and OPTION B with Sheryl Sandberg

The CEO Next Door contributes much needed research and data to a subject long dominated by anecdote and conjecture. Your probability of success will rise substantially when you put these insights into action

L. Kevin Cox, Chief Human Resources Officer, American Express Company

A compelling and concise roadmap to help you identify and develop your executive talent

Randall Stephenson, Chairman and CEO AT&T

The most useful and credible book on career success I’ve seen in years! ... a rare view behind the scenes on how leaders get picked for coveted roles and how they really succeed and fail. . . refreshingly candid and deeply researched

Jacqueline Reses, Capital Lead and People Lead, Square, Inc.

A first-rate guide for aspiring CEOs as well as for those who have already moved into the top spot ... compelling research and real-life stories provide a practical roadmap to leadership and career success

Art Collins, Retired chairman & CEO, Medtronic, Inc.

This seminal work by Elena and Kim does an outstanding job of identifying habits and traits of superstars versus average performers... A must read for those who aspire to make a difference

Raj L Gupta, Chairman Delphi Automotive PLC, Chairman Avantor Inc., Board member Arconic Inc, The Vanguard Group and IRI

With a 'Moneyball' approach to leadership, The CEO Next Door is a must read for aspiring leaders, CEOs, board members, and anyone responsible for grooming future leaders

Jim Donald, former CEO Starbucks and Extended Stay Hotels

Clear, practical guide on how to run any company, large or small ... The CEO Next Door explodes the myths behind what it takes to get to the top and provides what works, regardless of gender or background. Eye-opening and operational

Stuart Diamond, serial entrepreneur, author of the New York Times bestseller Getting More: How To Be A More Persuasive Person in Work and Life, and Professor at Wharton Business School

What an invaluable book. With colorful stories and interviews, and solid, in-depth data to back up its points, The CEO Next Door is the next must-read for business leaders of all types!

Susan Packard, co-founder HGTV, author and media executive

Required reading for anyone who aspires to the C-suite and wants to thrive there

Jim Goodnight, CEO of SAS

I enjoyed every page of this book. A must read for all those who care deeply about leading well.

Vicki Escarra, former CMO of Delta Air Lines and CEO of Feeding America and Opportunity International

Botelho and Powell have brought big data and analytics to one of the critical bastions of business: the individuals who make it to the corner office ... a game-changer for companies, leaders, and everyone who aspires to get ahead.

Thales Teixeira, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School