Books CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest Book by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra

CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra is a leadership book based on extensive research and interviews with 67 of the world’s top CEOs, including leaders like Satya Nadella and Mary Barra. The authors identify six key mindsets that set exceptional CEOs apart and enable them to excel in their demanding roles.

The Six Mindsets of CEO Excellence:

Direction Setting Mindset: Fortune Favors the Bold
Exceptional CEOs set bold, visionary directions, embracing innovation and strategic risk-taking to redefine success and navigate uncertainty.

Aligning the Organization's Mindset: Treat the Soft Stuff as the Hard Stuff
They apply rigor and discipline to culture, talent, and organizational design, recognizing that people-related factors are just as critical as operational ones.

Mobilizing Through Leaders Mindset: Solve for the Psychology of the Team
Top CEOs focus on team dynamics, fostering trust, cohesion, and motivation among their leadership teams rather than just managing mechanics.

Engaging the Board Mindset: Leverage the Board as an Asset
Rather than merely managing the board, excellent CEOs build strong, trust-based relationships and actively develop the board’s capabilities to enhance governance.

Connecting with Stakeholders Mindset: Start with Why
They prioritize understanding stakeholders’ motivations and values, aligning organizational goals with broader social purpose to build trust and meaningful engagement.

Managing Personal Effectiveness Mindset: Do What Only I Can Do
These leaders focus their time and energy on uniquely high-impact activities, delegating other tasks to maintain a comprehensive, strategic overview.

Key Insights

The CEO role is complex and requires balancing multiple responsibilities simultaneously.

Exceptional CEOs act as integrators, keeping all six “plates spinning” even as priorities shift.

The book is grounded in data showing that CEO effectiveness significantly impacts company performance and longevity.

It offers practical guidance on adopting these mindsets to improve leadership impact.

CEO Excellence provides a research-backed framework for understanding what makes the best CEOs stand out and offers actionable lessons for leaders aspiring to reach or sustain top executive performance.

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