Before I Was CEO: Life Stories and Lessons from Leaders Before They Reached the Top

by Peter Vanham

Have you always known what you wanted to be in life? What are some “watershed moments” that made you who you are? When did you get on track to become a successful CEO? It started with three questions at Davos. The younger Peter Vanham looked to the answers from the elite leaders he asked to validate his own career choice, and the rich, private wisdom he received revealed more about building a career than he’d found anywhere else. He shares it all with you in Before I Was CEO . For everyone who lays awake at night wondering if they’re heading up or down the corporate ladder, this collection of personal stories from a remarkable group of the most accomplished men and women in business today proves everyone can put themselves in the C-suite by taking a variety of different paths―it’s all how you do it. Some found opportunity through adversity and others came by their big-break moments through serendipity. A group of them walked away from corporate life and lived in other ways and all of them made calculated moves to advance their careers. In their own words, read how it all unfolded, the tough decisions they wrestled, the risks and rewards they saw, and how it all came together. You don’t need a royal pedigree or Ivy League education to reach the top as long as • Value family, leave home, and make informed decisions based on your dreams • Take the first thirty-five years of your life to discover what you’re interested in and don’t rush to be a CEO  • Strategically deal with failure, remember the lessons you learned, and adapt to situations you can’t change You aren’t the first person to be at the crossroads you’re standing in, and with the motivating and instructive stories in Before I Was CEO , you may be answering a young journalist’s questions at Davos one day.

Genres: Business

240 pages, Hardcover

Published November 14, 2016

About the author

Peter Vanham writes about the global economy and those who shape it.
He is the (co-) author of "The New Nature of Business (Wiley, 2024, with André Hoffmann), "Stakeholder Capitalism" (Wiley, 2021, with Prof. Klaus Schwab), "Before I Was CEO" (Wiley, 2017), and "Een kleine geschiedenis van grote durvers" (Lannoo, 2020).
He worked as a journalist in New York, London, Zurich, and Berlin, and contributed stories on emerging markets and business leadership to Fortune, The Financial Times, Business Insider, Harvard Business Review, and others.
He holds (executive) master’s degrees in Management Research (ESCP Paris), Global Leadership (World Economic Forum), Business & Economics Journalism (Columbia University) and Commercial Engineering (KU Leuven).
He lives in Geneva with his wife Valeria and their two daghters.

Reviews

[Keith D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book both inspirational and enlightening. Reading personal stories of various CEOs with varying backgrounds and influences make it to the top, was an eye opener. It was also direct access to these top leaders.

Peter does a great job capturing their stories and at the same time providing his insight in a style that is conversational and easy to grasp. This book is filled with lots of 'Aha moments', nuggets of wisdom and simply great story telling. I would highly recommend this book.

[Sam Nadarajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely a book worth owning - I appreciated the varied experiences of each of the interviewed CEOs.

A few takeaways I had:
1. Don't rush into being a CEO - figure out what you enjoy doing now and maximize the opportunities at your current level.
2. Working abroad can be helpful because it exposes one to varied situations and circumstances that would not otherwise be experienced in a more stable economy. Problem solving with innovative solutions under limiting circumstances grows oneself faster than following a designated track.
3. Make time for family
4. Be willing to get up and move if a better opportunity for you presents itself

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat of a hindsight 20/20 kind of book. Author starts to draw conclusions and patterns looking back, but who knows if they weren't just coincidences. The only good takeaway was similar to achieving enlightenment... you can only attain it by not trying. Just focus on doing your best and delivering good work in the present without expectations of anything in the future. Carpe diem/yolo!

[Nguyễn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Times change and sometimes greatness strikes when no one sees it

[William Glass · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some great stories in the book that I thoroughly enjoyed, but found it a bit flat.

The stories are supposed to be organized in a meaningful way to derive themes across stories, but the analysis from the author misses.

That being said there are valuable nuggets you just have to navigate the authors story telling style and attempt to synthesize insights directly from the featured CEOs stories.