NEW YORK TIMES AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER
• Winner of CMI Management Book of the Year 2019 •
Based on an in-depth analysis of over 2,600 leaders drawn from a database of more than 17,000 CEOs and C-suite executives, as well 13,000 hours of interviews, and two decades of experience advising CEOs and executive boards, Elena L. Botelho and Kim R. Powell overturn the myths about what it takes to get to the top and succeed.
Their groundbreaking research was the featured cover story in the May-June 2017 issue of Harvard Business Review. It reveals the common attributes and counterintuitive choices that set apart successful CEOs—lessons that we can apply to our own careers. Much of what we hear about who gets to the top, and how, is wrong. Those who become chief executives set their sights on the C-suite at an early age. In fact, over 70 percent of the CEOs didn’t have designs on the corner office until later in their careers. You must graduate from an elite college. In fact, only 7 percent of CEOs in the dataset are Ivy League graduates–and 8 percent didn’t graduate from college at all. To become a CEO you need a flawless résumé. The reality: 45 percent of CEO candidates had at least one major career blowup. What those who reach the top do share are four key behaviors that anyone can master: they are decisive; they are reliable, delivering what they promised when the promise it, without exception; they adapt boldly, and they engage with stakeholders without shying away from conflict. Based on this breakthrough study of the most successful people in business, Botelho and Powell offer career advice for everyone who aspires to get ahead.
Based on research insights illustrated by real life stories from CEOs and boardrooms, they tell us how to: – Fast-track our career by deploying the career catapults used by those who get to the top quickly- Overcome the hidden handicaps to getting the job we want.

Unlocking the secrets of the CEO genome
Decide: Speed over precision
Engage for impact: Orchestrate stakeholders to drive results
Relentless reliability: Deliver consistently
Adapt boldly: Ride the discomfort of the unknown
Adding it all up
Career catapults: Fast-track your career
Stand out: How to become known
Close the deal
The five hidden hazards at the top
Not just any team, your team
Dancing with the titans: The Board
From ordinary to extraordinary