THE DIARY OF A CEO - BOOK REVIEW

Have you ever wondered what the best way to start your weekend mornings is? Well, the best way to start my Sunday morning is to gather with incredible gentlemen in the The Men's Book Breakfast ~ The MBB and have an amazing discussion about a book we are currently exploring.

On Sunday, June 9th, 2024, a very early and chilly morning we began The MBB's 2nd Quarter Journey and currently our team is reading "The Diary of a CEO" by Steven Bartlett

Every human being aspires to be super successful and reach the levels of great entrepreneurs, artists, and politicians like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and the like. However, there is always one thing that stands between humans and great success, and that is WHERE they begin. Well, Steve Bartlett, in his book "The Diary of A CEO," clearly outlines WHERE you can start, HOW you can begin, and WHY you should start.

In the book, we are introduced to the four pillars of life that should guide you on your journey to success.

1. Self-awareness: Having a clear understanding of everything that makes you a person and then having total control of your emotions, personality, actions, beliefs and thoughts.?
2. Storytelling: The most valuable currency in the world is storytelling, and the most skilful storytellers become great leaders and entrepreneurs. Effective communication and the ability to captivate an audience can persuade people to follow you, buy from you, believe in you, trust you, and understand your ideas, no matter how wild they may seem.
3. The philosophy: These are principles, morals, beliefs and values that guide you as a person and your behaviour.?
4. The team: Great success cannot be achieved when working alone. You need an incredible and brilliant team to work with you towards greatness. For example, Jesus formed a group of 12 disciples to spread his gospel even when he was not present. This exemplifies the purpose of creating a great team with everyone.

According to Steve, Success in any field or industry is governed by a set of laws based on the four pillars I have talked about. The first pillar is self-awareness, and it introduces the first law of success, which is "filling your 5 buckets in the right order." You might be wondering about these 5 buckets I am referring to, and I'll share more about them below.

1. Knowledge: This includes what you have learned in school or through training in a specific field.

2. Skills: These are the abilities you have developed based on the knowledge you have acquired from various sources and you are in a good position to apply them to get results.

3. Network: These are the people who will engage with you as you apply your skills and knowledge in the real world. As you become more proficient, your network will expand.

4. Resources: These are the rewards you accumulate over time as a result of applying your skills and knowledge within the right network. These resources can be used to drive your success.

5. Reputation: Once you have amassed knowledge, skills, a strong network, and valuable resources, you will build a reputation. This will be the legacy you leave behind.

Steve advises everyone to prioritize filling their buckets of knowledge and skills because true prosperity in this world is determined by what you know and what you can do. Everything else will fall into place once you have these foundations in place.

The second law of self-awareness is “ To master it, you must create an obligation to teach it.” To truly excel in your craft, you must also become an excellent teacher of that craft and this was also echoed by one of the great scientists, Albert Einstein who once said, "If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don't understand it yourself." This law emphasizes the importance of simplifying your knowledge and skills so that they can be easily understood by everyone, even children, and then sharing these insights with others. The more you teach others, the more you learn and improve your expertise.

This was the main topic of our discussion in our first meeting on Sunday, and we had a great discussion with the team comprised of Fred Magomere , Eng. John Thirima, PE , Eric Mugo , Hemman Mwashi .

I would also like to appreciate the efforts of Lawrence Githinji and The Men's Book Breakfast ~ The MBB for making it possible for great people to meet and have a fulfilling and interactive book discussion. Looking forward to sharing more articles about this book and I would greatly appreciate it if you could like, comment or share this article with more people.