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The Naked CEO: The Truth You Need to Build a Big Life
The Naked CEO's guide to achieving your dream, starting now From suspended schoolboy to disruptive CEO, Alex Malley, The Naked CEO, has led a life rich in successes and mistakes. Through it all he has learned a lot about what it takes to successfully build not only a big career, but also a big life.Gain insights from a successful CEO who's lived a big life. Be inspired by his unabashed real-life stories. Learn how to dream big and have the courage to pursue your passions and be willing to fail in that quest. Take the practical tips and apply them to your own career.Whether you're a student, jobseeker, professional, new to the workforce or just stuck in a rut, this book is your guide through the hurdles of the career journey to a big life. As a father of seven, Alex knows that this is the perfect book for parents or mentors looking to inspire the next generation.Career-readiness is a skill that people need. It can be learned the hard way, after years on the job and many potentially serious missteps, or it can be learned ahead of time by listening to those who have been there. The Naked CEO helps graduates, jobseekers, and professionals learn the lessons and limit their mistakes.Learn howBecome a leader Successfully stand out and get noticed Harness the power of being yourself Network and create a profile Establish rapport with colleagues and turn around an under-performing team Get organised, spot opportunities, and learn how to say no Set priorities, build confidence, learn how to delegate, and more The Naked CEO is the truth you need to build a big life.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
68 people are currently reading
428 people want to read
About the author
Alex Malley
4 books6 followersAlex Malley FCPA is the CEO of CPA Australia and is responsible for 19 offices globally with more than 150,000 members in 121 countries.
Alex was born in Sydney, Australia, to immigrant parents. From the time he and his family remember, he was a disruptive boy - ever curious about all around him.
His life and career have been extremely diverse with experiences that include banking, sports management, university lecturing, media commentary as well as CEO, board director and chairmanship roles.
Tackling leadership and mentoring matters is something he has always taken very seriously. As host of the television series The Bottom Line, screened nationally on the Nine Network Australia, Alex brings these issues into sharp focus through interviews with fellow leaders from business, politics and the community. The interview he conducted with the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, was the most substantive ever filmed. News surrounding it reached an unprecedented global audience.
Alex fronts CPA Australia'sthe online mentoring community for students, thenakedceo.com. Approximately 2 million young people have visited the site to date. The extraordinary engagement achieved on the website was the inspiration behind his book - The Naked CEO: From suspended schoolboy to disruptive CEO.
He writes a regular blog for The Huffington Post and is a business commentator on the nationally syndicated programs The Money News on 2GB and Sky News Business.
Alex serves on a number of councils, boards and government sector committees including the Prince of Wales' Accounting for Sustainability Project and the International Integrated Reporting Council domiciled in London.
In recent times, Alex was invited to become a Linkedin Influencer: an exclusive group of global leaders, which includes the likes of Richard Branson, Bill Gates and US President Barack Obama. Via regular blog posts, Alex shares his leadership insights with Linkedin's network of more than 300 million professionals around the globe.
From suspended schoolboy to disruptive CEO, Alex always does what he believes in.
Alex was born in Sydney, Australia, to immigrant parents. From the time he and his family remember, he was a disruptive boy - ever curious about all around him.
His life and career have been extremely diverse with experiences that include banking, sports management, university lecturing, media commentary as well as CEO, board director and chairmanship roles.
Tackling leadership and mentoring matters is something he has always taken very seriously. As host of the television series The Bottom Line, screened nationally on the Nine Network Australia, Alex brings these issues into sharp focus through interviews with fellow leaders from business, politics and the community. The interview he conducted with the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, was the most substantive ever filmed. News surrounding it reached an unprecedented global audience.
Alex fronts CPA Australia'sthe online mentoring community for students, thenakedceo.com. Approximately 2 million young people have visited the site to date. The extraordinary engagement achieved on the website was the inspiration behind his book - The Naked CEO: From suspended schoolboy to disruptive CEO.
He writes a regular blog for The Huffington Post and is a business commentator on the nationally syndicated programs The Money News on 2GB and Sky News Business.
Alex serves on a number of councils, boards and government sector committees including the Prince of Wales' Accounting for Sustainability Project and the International Integrated Reporting Council domiciled in London.
In recent times, Alex was invited to become a Linkedin Influencer: an exclusive group of global leaders, which includes the likes of Richard Branson, Bill Gates and US President Barack Obama. Via regular blog posts, Alex shares his leadership insights with Linkedin's network of more than 300 million professionals around the globe.
From suspended schoolboy to disruptive CEO, Alex always does what he believes in.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
April 9, 2018
Scrolling through the audiobook app on my phone from my library I came across this, so I had no prior knowledge of Alex Malley or "The Naked CEO", but it seems it is a website he has built and this book is a culmination of what he is trying to put out to the world about how to survive & thrive in Corporates.
This book is absolutely aimed at people new to the workforce, or new to corporate life. The blurb is a little misleading because for anyone that has experience with attending leadership programs and/or diagnostics, or has been in the workplace for a while this book is rudimentary and a bit of a bore.
I have given 3 stars because I am not the target audience and with a better blurb aiming this at new job seekers and graduating uni students this book would probably be quite helpful. It is a bit of an ad for himself and his website, but there are still some useful opinions on how to prepare for interviews, set up linkedin, communicate genuinely with others etc.
This book is absolutely aimed at people new to the workforce, or new to corporate life. The blurb is a little misleading because for anyone that has experience with attending leadership programs and/or diagnostics, or has been in the workplace for a while this book is rudimentary and a bit of a bore.
I have given 3 stars because I am not the target audience and with a better blurb aiming this at new job seekers and graduating uni students this book would probably be quite helpful. It is a bit of an ad for himself and his website, but there are still some useful opinions on how to prepare for interviews, set up linkedin, communicate genuinely with others etc.
December 10, 2014
This is like "first day at work for dummies". I'm sure some very inexperienced people might be able to glean some nuggets from it. Disappointing.
May 31, 2017
So, coming in to an Accounting degree as a mature age student, I think, who better to give me some advice but the CEO of the CPA?
Turns out not to be the case. The book stinks of self-promotion and is filled with unhelpful buzz words and catch phrases. It's just a poorly constructed book about motivation without much in the way of real content. Or motivation. The amount of self-congratulation gets pretty sickening and I never finished the book. I put it into a Vinnies bin, perhaps it will find itself being useful to light someones fire.
Anyhow, I'd rather be a CA.
Turns out not to be the case. The book stinks of self-promotion and is filled with unhelpful buzz words and catch phrases. It's just a poorly constructed book about motivation without much in the way of real content. Or motivation. The amount of self-congratulation gets pretty sickening and I never finished the book. I put it into a Vinnies bin, perhaps it will find itself being useful to light someones fire.
Anyhow, I'd rather be a CA.
December 17, 2015
I got through 7 of the 35 chapters of this book listening to the audio version. While not disagreeing with any of its sentiments, I cannot imagine any point in my career when I would have found such a manual useful. The tips are OK in themselves, but surely become useful along the way in response to situations and challenges. I am ever grateful for parents, community and schools that gave me integrity, confidence , a sense of purpose and an expectation of contributing to society on which I could build my learning and growth. I'm happy to have done that with a lot of help from many people along the way - but without a manual. Maybe a version with a good index would be useful to consult in relation to specific issues.
June 30, 2016
Inspirational, Inspirational and Inspirational.
A-not bad-collection of smart quotes and a-not-bad therapy to be a mundanely successful employee? But for CEOs or startup founders? I think mere a collection of coined phrases might not be sufficient.
1-star for it.
PS. I may here illustrate a little bit more here about the classification of this book, Inspirational_junk.(INP JUNK) I have another shelf named Inspirational_non_junk (INP NON JUNK). The difference is, INP JUNK makes me feel like I have wasted my money and time while INP NON JUNK does not. Also, INP JUNK gives me a feeling of reading textbook whereas INP NON JUNK is more like conversation.
A-not bad-collection of smart quotes and a-not-bad therapy to be a mundanely successful employee? But for CEOs or startup founders? I think mere a collection of coined phrases might not be sufficient.
1-star for it.
PS. I may here illustrate a little bit more here about the classification of this book, Inspirational_junk.(INP JUNK) I have another shelf named Inspirational_non_junk (INP NON JUNK). The difference is, INP JUNK makes me feel like I have wasted my money and time while INP NON JUNK does not. Also, INP JUNK gives me a feeling of reading textbook whereas INP NON JUNK is more like conversation.
May 23, 2015
This book has everything: mediocre writing, banal advice, and purple prose so ghastly that it's best used to practice suppressing your gag reflex. Neither the authors of the book nor its editors seem to realize that if each paragraph of the book needs its own heading it's a sign either that the writer is incompetent at developing an idea or that he's an anal retentive maniac who's unwilling to allow topic sentences do their job.
September 15, 2020
Somebody called this "work for dummies", and this is basically what it is. If this manual is to be believed, the way to a Big Life is with a lot of name dropping - literally 5% of the beginning is just endorsements and acknowledgements. Then it moves on to such mundane advice as "carry a pad and pen to write down your ideas". It is peppered throughout with the most banal "quotable quotes from Alex". I could not finish it or get too far in.
July 7, 2017
I found that the majority of this book was filled with pretty standard tips you could find in any LinkedIn article and there was a bit too much self-congratulation going on. I think I would still recommend it to people in early university or even late high school but for me personally there wasn't much to gain (aside from the last couple of chapters).
February 15, 2016
Malley expressed some interesting and insightful points regarding success within the workplace. However, these points were written in a manner that was rather lackluster.
This book is much better suited as a reference material to skim through when the advice applies to your current situation.
This book is much better suited as a reference material to skim through when the advice applies to your current situation.
July 1, 2018
Nice solid read for those starting out in the corporate workforce or new to management positions. The basic principles outlined all support making sure that your focus is people first and understanding how to manage your relationships as a priority in order to get the job results you need. Would recommend.
March 21, 2015
At this point in my career, it's fair to say I didn't get a whole lot from this book. But, having said that, I would highly recommend this book to any graduate starting a career or uni-student planning their future. I wish I'd read this book 15+ years earlier!
March 24, 2018
There were a few great insights from the book. However, it felt more like a book or manual to read when you’ve just started with work or as student preparing for work. It was like a generalized “Work start-up for dummies”
May 23, 2016
One of those insincere, self promotion books.
January 2, 2016
Written with students in mind but some useful things in it quick to read but wouldn't rush out to buy it. I picked it up in an airport for my husband.
July 8, 2017
The author is obviously a narcissist and this book would help no one.
March 16, 2020
What a narcissist
February 10, 2022
Excellent manual for students on how to be exploited in the workplace. Dnf.
December 1, 2022
I was sifting through a room of old university stuff at my mum's house when i pulled this book out, and i feel compelled to warn others not to read this tripe. I read it when i was in my early 20's and at first was captivated by the advice, however over time i've realised it, and its author, were full of basic and at times misleading advice.
At best - this is a mediocre book full of generic career advice that you could could get by asking a random white collar person walking to work in your CBD. Finish school, get good grades, think about what jobs you'd enjoy doing, show up to an interview looking enthusiastic, work hard, look confident etc etc. These gems of wisdom might help you live a life, but it is beyond me how this will help you live a "Big Life".
At worst this book encourages young, vulnerable people new to the workforce to subject themselves to the mercy of their managers and co-workers. It tells readers to work beyond the required for the sake of gaining brownie points that will probably never come to any use, as if they are some servant as opposed to a colleague. It tells readers to play work politics rather than learn collaboration and negotiating skills. This was the ethos of the big american conglomerates of the 80s, and how did that turn out for them. He actively encourages sameness and herding and herding rather than innovation and creativity, which is a one way ticket to flatlining in your career.
Alex Malley may not be a criminal but he has acted far from ethically in his career, just give him a Google. His leadership resume consists of being the head of small research bodies and the CPA, which bankrolled the marketing for this book. He's not somebody I would look to for advice on authenticity. This book is a vintage example of the charlatan getting ahead by selling people courses on how to get ahead, and for that that it does deserve a small amount of credit.
This book was recommended to me by a variety of people my age and older than me, at the time. With the benefit of hindsight and 10 years' work experience, and an MBA, I can tell you in no uncertain terms that there is nothing helpful or insight in this book.
I saw on Amazon a new copy is selling for $100. I hope that's because it's being used as cautionary tale of how not to act in your career.
At best - this is a mediocre book full of generic career advice that you could could get by asking a random white collar person walking to work in your CBD. Finish school, get good grades, think about what jobs you'd enjoy doing, show up to an interview looking enthusiastic, work hard, look confident etc etc. These gems of wisdom might help you live a life, but it is beyond me how this will help you live a "Big Life".
At worst this book encourages young, vulnerable people new to the workforce to subject themselves to the mercy of their managers and co-workers. It tells readers to work beyond the required for the sake of gaining brownie points that will probably never come to any use, as if they are some servant as opposed to a colleague. It tells readers to play work politics rather than learn collaboration and negotiating skills. This was the ethos of the big american conglomerates of the 80s, and how did that turn out for them. He actively encourages sameness and herding and herding rather than innovation and creativity, which is a one way ticket to flatlining in your career.
Alex Malley may not be a criminal but he has acted far from ethically in his career, just give him a Google. His leadership resume consists of being the head of small research bodies and the CPA, which bankrolled the marketing for this book. He's not somebody I would look to for advice on authenticity. This book is a vintage example of the charlatan getting ahead by selling people courses on how to get ahead, and for that that it does deserve a small amount of credit.
This book was recommended to me by a variety of people my age and older than me, at the time. With the benefit of hindsight and 10 years' work experience, and an MBA, I can tell you in no uncertain terms that there is nothing helpful or insight in this book.
I saw on Amazon a new copy is selling for $100. I hope that's because it's being used as cautionary tale of how not to act in your career.
October 5, 2020
Did I love this book? Not quite 👎🏼
I must have missed the bit at the beginning outlining it’s aimed at graduates. Anyone with >3-5 years experience and worth their salt would know 99% of the stuff in this book. It’s not bad at all. Clearly written, punchy, not too waffling however I was deceived with all the advertising at airport bookshops (first mistake maybe?😁) and hoped it was more revealing. Perhaps the “secret formula” to becoming a CEO is totally basic (I would believe it!) though this just seemed way too high level.
I must have missed the bit at the beginning outlining it’s aimed at graduates. Anyone with >3-5 years experience and worth their salt would know 99% of the stuff in this book. It’s not bad at all. Clearly written, punchy, not too waffling however I was deceived with all the advertising at airport bookshops (first mistake maybe?😁) and hoped it was more revealing. Perhaps the “secret formula” to becoming a CEO is totally basic (I would believe it!) though this just seemed way too high level.
April 1, 2018
This book is simple yet insightful. I could relate to author's aspirations and how it changed over course of time. The last section "The leadership track" is my favourite. Recommend for those who want a light read without delving into jargon of use cases of corporate. Though, primary target of this book is student starting corporate life but most of the points are relevant to anyone in the same track.
May 25, 2020
Considering that Alex Mallet brought CPA's reputation into disrepute by promoting this book, you have to take anything he says about reputation, integrity, honesty and ethics with a pinch of salt. This book is targeted at university grads, though there are a few nuggets here and there that might be useful to people already in the workforce might find useful..though if you can't trust a person because he brought down an organisation can you really follow his advice?
January 15, 2021
A good book for those who are about to begin their career full of helpful advice and a good starter in thinking about leadership.
But it's not great. The advice given isn't really supported with any statistics or personal stories which as a result causes the advice given to lack as much credibility. You don't hear much about Alex's own career and so it feels very disconnected. The Mentee case studies are quite repetitive and feels like an advert to the Naked CEO website.
But it's not great. The advice given isn't really supported with any statistics or personal stories which as a result causes the advice given to lack as much credibility. You don't hear much about Alex's own career and so it feels very disconnected. The Mentee case studies are quite repetitive and feels like an advert to the Naked CEO website.
April 7, 2024
This book promised lots and delivered very little. The book was full of platitudes and self promotion, with small, short lists of ideas (some of which were good). There was no detail, no referencing to other expert commentators / academics and very little expansion on the key topics.
There are much better self hep books in the market with better research, sage advice and much better written.
There are much better self hep books in the market with better research, sage advice and much better written.
March 8, 2023
I'm on the fence when it comes to rating this book. On one hand, I think it's a 5/5 but on the other, maybe a 2/5.
5/5 because this is THE perfect book for those who are just about to finish school/university or don't have a formal education but need a new start/an edge to their career.
2/5 because the title is MISLEADING. It's not a high gear read if that's what you're after. 😅
5/5 because this is THE perfect book for those who are just about to finish school/university or don't have a formal education but need a new start/an edge to their career.
2/5 because the title is MISLEADING. It's not a high gear read if that's what you're after. 😅
October 10, 2019
Listened to the audiobook. I’m too old for this book, it’s really targeted to the young university students/ graduates who may not yet have much life experience. I found it too generic for general interest, would be improved if the author was open enough to share specifics from his life.
November 6, 2019
I had heard really good reviews of this book, but for me it was not that informative, enlightening or entertaining. As others have said, it may be okay for someone just entering the workforce, but for me I found it mainly boring with a slight egocentric undertone.
January 2, 2020
Pleasant and easy to read book. I found it interesting to see how someone else feels himself at executive management level. The structure is very nice as you to get to read "what" and then it follow by "how" to take an action . After reading this book there may be a list of actions to take.
January 8, 2020
Having started a new job, this book could not have come at a better time! Such a relatable reas! Alex keeps the philosophy behind being a leader (or a great team member) very simple which felt to me to be more effective in inspiring me!
March 24, 2020
In 'The Naked CEO,' Alex Malley teaches young people how to start and develop their careers on the path to becoming a corporate leader. His advice draws on his experiences. It's an easy read and one that could have a profound effect on a young person.
January 11, 2021
Solid foundation and examples and some good practical advice, applicable to many careers paths. Never hurts to brush up on the basics, and offers insight if you are new to the workforce, or taking your career in a new direction.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews