What the CEO Wants You to Know

What the CEO Wants You to Know – Ram Charan

Business can seem complicated, filled with jargon, financial statements and complex strategies. But according to Ram Charan, a renowned business adviser who has worked with leading CEOs around the world, successful business leaders share a simple way of thinking about business that anyone can learn.

In What the CEO Wants You to Know: How Your Company Really Works, Charan explains the universal principles of business that apply to companies of every size, from a street vendor’s stall to a global corporation. He draws on the example of his own family’s small shoe shop in India, where he learned the essentials of business as a boy.

Charan describes the core elements that every business leader must understand: cash generation, margin, velocity, which is how quickly assets turn over, return on assets, growth and customers. He explains how these elements relate to one another and how they determine whether a business makes money. By understanding them, employees at every level can see the big picture, make better decisions and contribute more effectively to their company’s success.

The book also discusses how to apply this business acumen to everyday work, how to understand priorities from the perspective of top leadership, and how to work more effectively with colleagues across the organization.

Short, clear and practical, What the CEO Wants You to Know is a valuable read for employees, managers, aspiring leaders and anyone who wants to understand how companies really work and think more like a CEO.