There's No Elevator to the Top: A Leading Headhunter Shares the Advancement Strategies of the World's Most Successful Executives

by Umesh Ramakrishnan

A top corporate recruiter reveals what it takes to reach the top of a major corporation.

Few people have as deep an understanding of corporate leadership as Umesh Ramakrishnan. As vice chairman of CTPartners, one of the world’s premier search firms, he has placed dozens of C-level executives at companies around the globe. Now he shares powerful lessons from his long career and also from exclusive interviews with top CEO’s.

Ramakrishnan identifies the qualities that distinguish those who are likely to make it from those who aren’t. And he explains, for
There’s No Elevator to the Top is like an exclusive lunch date with a tableful of CEOs, as Ramakrishnan features the insights of dozens of top leaders at companies like Dell, Cadbury Schweppes, Aetna, BT Group, Pepsi, Infosys, and Ecopetrol.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 2008

Reviews

[Kathleen Rainwater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what makes the CEO’s of organizations tick? How did they get to the top? What characteristics do they share? This book delves into the lives of CEO’s and other Chief corporate officers from around the world. Ramakrishnan, vice-chairman of one of the leading executive search firms in the world, interviewed C-level executives to find out “What do you know now that you wished you had known twenty years ago?” “Where did you get your inspiration?” The result is a low-key, highly personal look at success.

[Fred · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breezy and clearly written synthesis of what it takes to be the CEO today (2008). Still pretty relevant in 2013, even if the fortunes of those named have changed. A balanced and human perspective on the zigzag path to the top.

[Lori Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A should-read book on executive ability in managing your career.

[Keith Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and all about being decisive.