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Corporate Confidential
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Corporate Confidential

Fortune 500 Executives off the Record: What It Really Takes to Get to the Top

Susan A. DePhillips
Platinum Press, 2005
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Editorial Rating

7

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  • Applicable

Recommendation

getAbstract recommends this book to anyone who is planning to climb the corporate ladder, although author Susan DePhillips includes nothing that is revolutionary, and little that is new. However, she interviewed dozens of Fortune 500 executives and boiled the results down into sensible advice, which she presents in brief, lucid segments. The executives’ approach is direct, at times startlingly so, such as when they discuss what women need to do to get ahead. These executives are wise - but if you already have the maturity and self-knowledge to benefit from their wisdom, you may not need it. After all, do people with attitude problems recognize what’s wrong? Can they see that they are playing the victim unnecessarily? The book actually becomes touching, and therefore sobering, when the executives discuss the trade-offs they made to get to the top. Most of them take responsibility for their choices, but they speak with regret of missing chunks of their families’ lives or of damaging their health. Regrettably, while some of the executives allowed DePhillips to identify them, others did not, so she presents their advice anonymously. As a result, you get a strong consensus, but you can’t always get to know the individuals behind the stories.

Summary

Who Runs Fortune 500 Companies?

You may be surprised to learn that the people who direct Fortune 500 companies are, as a rule, quite down-to-earth - even if they are ensconced in magnificent offices. Interviews with numerous CEOs found that most of them see their work as fun, and they like and appreciate their colleagues. They don’t desire power for its own sake, but they do want the ability to influence their organizations. Because they enjoy their work and care about the people around them, they wish to improve the lot of everyone involved.

Furthermore, most CEOs have experienced an improvement in their personal situations, because many came from humble beginnings. Regardless of their education, most had to work their way up the ladder. They started working early, sometimes as children, and they lacked many luxuries today’s workers have. As a result, these CEOs may become impatient with younger workers who expect financial returns quickly or who get distracted by new tech toys.

What You Win - and What You Lose

If you want to be an executive, expect to work very hard. Executives at Fortune 500 companies are well-paid, but they work an average of 65 hours...

About the Author

Susan A. DePhillips spent more than 20 years as a human resources professional. She also worked as the vice president of a retail business. She is a business consultant and writer.

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