CEO Ready: What You Need to Know to Earn the Job--and Keep the Job
Mark Thompson · Byron Loflin
Nov 2025 · Gildan Media · Narrated by Graham Rowat
headphones
Audiobook
9 hr 3 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
Want a free 57 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
About this audiobook
Your track record isn't enough. Here's what it really takes to be CEO Ready.
You're on the short list for the CEO job and you have a record of delivering amazing results. You've been told you have the inside track. You're the leader in the clubhouse.
Don't believe it. Remember that no matter what you've heard or what your CV says, you are not alone in the race, and the odds are against you getting the job.
Leadership selection isn't the methodical, objective process we imagine. Decisions aren't made by robotic executives ticking boxes for attributes like strategic fit, core competencies, or cultural alignment. Instead, the process is deeply personal, emotional, and often unpredictable. If you think it's purely merit-based, you're not CEO ready.
But don't worry, Mark Thompson and Byron Loflin have coached thousands of candidates through the process and have seen it all—they know what it takes to become truly CEO ready and they're sharing it here. They've witnessed the personal drama that unfolds as a company prepares to pass the baton of leadership, as well as the emotions that sway final CEO decisions. In CEO Ready, they reveal what it really takes to secure the top job.
You're on the short list for the CEO job and you have a record of delivering amazing results. You've been told you have the inside track. You're the leader in the clubhouse.
Don't believe it. Remember that no matter what you've heard or what your CV says, you are not alone in the race, and the odds are against you getting the job.
Leadership selection isn't the methodical, objective process we imagine. Decisions aren't made by robotic executives ticking boxes for attributes like strategic fit, core competencies, or cultural alignment. Instead, the process is deeply personal, emotional, and often unpredictable. If you think it's purely merit-based, you're not CEO ready.
But don't worry, Mark Thompson and Byron Loflin have coached thousands of candidates through the process and have seen it all—they know what it takes to become truly CEO ready and they're sharing it here. They've witnessed the personal drama that unfolds as a company prepares to pass the baton of leadership, as well as the emotions that sway final CEO decisions. In CEO Ready, they reveal what it really takes to secure the top job.
Your track record isn't enough. Here's what it really takes to be CEO Ready.
You're on the short list for the CEO job and you have a record of delivering amazing results. You've been told you have the inside track. You're the leader in the clubhouse.
Don't believe it. Remember that no matte...
Discover more
About the author
Marshall Goldsmith was born in Valley Station, Kentucky in 1949 and is an American author, professor, consultant, and executive coach. Dr. Goldsmith received his BS from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (1970), his MBA from Indiana University (1972), and his PhD from UCLA (1977). Goldsmith was Assistant Professor and then Associate Dean at Loyola Marymount University's College of Business from 1976-2000. He is currently a professor at Alliant International University, he teaches executive education at Dartmouth College's Tuck School, and is a frequent guest speaker at leading business schools. Goldsmith is a co-founder of Keilty, Goldsmith and Company and eventually of Marshall Goldsmith Partners. In November 2009 Dr. Goldsmith was recognized as one of the fifteen most influential business thinkers in the world in a study sponsored by The (London) Times and Forbes. Dr. Goldsmith's books include: The Leader of the Future, The Organization of the Future - 2 (Choice Award), Coaching for Leadership, and Succession: Are You Ready? and Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, and How to Get It Back When You Need It! He made The New York Times Best Seller List with his title Triggers: How Situations Shape Our Behavior--And How to Create Meaningful Change That Lasts.
Marshall Goldsmith was born in Valley Station, Kentucky in 1949 and is an American author, professor, consultant, and executive coach. Dr. Goldsmith received his BS from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (1970), his MBA from Indiana University (1972), and his PhD from UCLA (1977). Goldsmith was...
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
