What the CEO Wants You to Know: How Your Company Really Works

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Ram Charan learned about business from his family's shoe shop in India before attending Harvard Business School and going on to advise senior executives in companies large and small. His experiences taught him that universal laws apply "whether you sell fruit from a stand or are running a Fortune 500 company," and that the business acumen that comes from understanding these basics can be applied throughout any operation. What the CEO Wants You to Know is Charan's primer on this point, which he illustrates with explanations filtered through the eyes of street venders and other small shopkeepers. One, for example, involves a woman in Managua, Nicaragua, who sells clothing from a small cart and beats the oppressive interest rates on her loans and the puny profit margins on her goods with a skillfully selected inventory that is quickly and repeatedly turned over. Whether it's a corner merchant or a giant manufacturing concern, Charan notes, "the faster the velocity, the higher the return." Relating such thinking to cash generation, customer satisfaction, and other essentials, he describes the universal principles that help all companies make money. "What your CEO wants you to know is how these fundamentals of business work in your company," he writes before embarking on a very lucid explanation that can be quickly absorbed and put into practice. --Howard Rothman


From Publishers Weekly
Charan (Boards at Work), a consultant, draws an analogy between the decision-making processes of the CEO and the street vendor in his native India. The vendor must focus on profit margin, returns and customer demands. CEOs must "Think like the street vendor. Cut through to the nucleus of the business." Successful leaders, says Charan, aren't afraid to seek help---from coaches, colleagues or employees. With its friendly, conversational tone, this book will be useful to some readers on the lower and middle rungs, but may prove too simplistic for aspiring CEOs. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Charan is a busy consultant and "leadership coach" who writes for such publications as Fortune and Harvard Business Review . He is also the author of Boards That Work (1998) and a coauthor of Every Business Is a Growth Business (1998) and the just-released Leadership Pipeline (2001). Now, with this short, basic primer on how companies work, he targets younger people who may want to know more about the world of business and employees who seek a better understanding of how their company is organized and how and why decisions are made. Charan suggests that certain business principles are invariable and that both the successful fruit-cart vendor and the successful seven-figure CEO who understand these principles possess what he calls "business acumen." He explains the concept of profit and demonstrates how companies are organized around that concept. Charan's goals are to help employees figure out their company's three most important priorities, understand how their company creates wealth, and understand "how to become a total businessperson by linking [their] job[s] with the big picture of [the] company." David Rouse
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"What the CEO Wants You to Know is a book that should be read by everyone-from the newest recruit to the most seasoned senior manager."
— Jac Nasser, CEO and President, Ford Motor Company

"These ideas help simplify complexity and provide a lifetime of value. What the CEO Wants You to Know is a gem of a book."
— Larry Bossidy, former Chairman and CEO, AlliedSignal

"This is a book that's been needed for years. Ram Charan shares the secret to finding your way in the business world and making your career more meaningful."
— Chad Holliday, Chairman and CEO, Dupont

"Reading this book is like putting on a pair of glasses-suddenly the guts of the business are crystal clear."
— Dave Robino, Vice Chairman, Gateway Computer

"Finally, a book that shows how business really works."
— Bob Nardelli, President and CEO, GE Power Systems

"Business acumen-Ram Charan's term for using the universal laws of business — is the name of the game today."
— Lois D. Juliber, COO, Colgate-Palmolive


Review
"What the CEO Wants You to Know is a book that should be read by everyone-from the newest recruit to the most seasoned senior manager."
? Jac Nasser, CEO and President, Ford Motor Company

"These ideas help simplify complexity and provide a lifetime of value. What the CEO Wants You to Know is a gem of a book."
? Larry Bossidy, former Chairman and CEO, AlliedSignal

"This is a book that's been needed for years. Ram Charan shares the secret to finding your way in the business world and making your career more meaningful."
? Chad Holliday, Chairman and CEO, Dupont

"Reading this book is like putting on a pair of glasses-suddenly the guts of the business are crystal clear."
? Dave Robino, Vice Chairman, Gateway Computer

"Finally, a book that shows how business really works."
? Bob Nardelli, President and CEO, GE Power Systems

"Business acumen-Ram Charan's term for using the universal laws of business ? is the name of the game today."
? Lois D. Juliber, COO, Colgate-Palmolive


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Finally, a book that shows how business really works. — (Bob Nardelli, President and CEO, GE Power Systems)


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