D. A. Benton - The CEO Difference

Advancing in your career is all about differentiating yourself from others around you. No one teaches that lesson better than D. A. [Debra] Benton, and she teaches it nowhere better than in The CEO Difference.

Rulon F. Stacey, PhD, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fairview Health Services, and Chairman of the Board of Overseers for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

New books arrive on my desk just about every day, but I always read the books of D. A. Benton.

Brian Palmer, President, National Speakers Bureau

Playing well with others is one of the mysteries of corporate life, but how to do this better than anyone else has been solved for you. All you have to do is listen closely to one of the greatest corporate mystery analysts of all time: D. A. Benton has written a masterful book on solving this universal case study.

Jack Falvey, contributor to Barrons and the Wall Street Journal and founder of MakingTheNumbers.Com

No matter your title or industry, you need to stand out in order to be successful in todays competitive business landscape. The challenge is often identifying how. In this book, D. A. Benton shares important key behaviors she observed from working with Fortune 500 senior executives around the world that can have a profound impact on anyones career.

Rick Ambrose, Executive Vice President, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company

The secret to recognition and success is revealed in The CEO Difference, as D. A. Benton clearly and concisely guides the aspiring executive to stand out in a crowd and avoid the herd instinct. A must-read for any ambitious man or woman striving to reach the next rung on the organization ladder. You have what it takes. Now you will know how to package and sell yourself and your programs. Its easy once you learn the secret!

John Bianchi, PhD, founder and CEO, Bianchi International (retired), Commanding General of the California State Military Reserve, author of Blue Steel and Gunleather, and founder of Frontier Gunleather

In todays intensely competitive arena, career success requires much more than brains, skills, and perseverance. In The CEO Difference, Debra has distilled powerful, easy-to-apply lessons to set yourself apart from the competition as you plan, create, and act. Well worth the read.

M. Carl Johnson, III, Group Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer, Del Monte Foods

CEOs and other persons with high-level authority and responsibility have achieved success not only by being different but by making that difference count in creating productivity and prosperity across their the organizations. This achievement is not a unilateral adventure but a focused regime with a network of internal and external influences that challenges one to define their value above others.

Herbert R. Temple Jr., Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (retired)

Benton knows the correct pathway to move into CEO leadership. This book has motivational tools for all stages in climbing into the CEO chair or to change the mindset and steps of climbers who seek their peak performance.

Laurence Salmon, CEO, RJPD Asset Management Singapore

If what you are looking for is a way to the top through your own actions, this is the book for you. It provides great insight into how to understand yourself and to project your best self to the outside world.

James J. OBrien, Chairman and CEO, Ashland Inc.

Bentons insights are so invaluable that they extend past the professional sphere and into my personal life. She is a wonderful woman with profound knowledge and unparalleled expertise.

Sibylle Scherer, President, Consumer Marketing and Branding/DFS GROUP (duty free shops)

Once again Benton has captured the essence of what CEOs are looking for and see in those we want leading our companies. In a highly competitive world and changing marketplace, the demands for leadership differentiation are as high as for the products we sell. This book certainly provides an insightful treatment on how to achieve and be recognized as one of those few leaders.

Larry A. Lawson, CEO, Spirit Aero Systems, Inc.

Smarts and hard work have become commodities in our competitive economythey are necessary just to do an acceptable job. Getting even smarter and working even harder has let many climb the next step. At this point, however, few are left with the passion and energy to become exceptional. To get there, youll have to do something different. Benton shows you how and why!

Dr. Dino Falaschetti, Executive Director, PERC (Property and Environment Research Center), and former Senior Economist for the Presidents Council of Economic Advisers

When I mentor many of my exceptional associates, we discuss how to distinguish ourselves in the appropriate ways among other peers who are exceed-ers as well. Debra has been my coach for many years, and she has again provided clear and succinct advice and techniques to advance in your career.

Michael Gass, President and CEO, United Launch Alliance

For those intent on accelerating their move up the career ladder, D. A. Bentons newest book provides an invaluable decoder ring that unlocks the secrets for making the High Potential! lights burn brightly whenever the people you work for see your name. Reaching the top doesnt happen by accident; it happens to people who distinguish themselves and this is a smart place to learn how to do it.

Hal Johnson, Chairman, Global Human Resources Practice, Korn/Ferry International

The guide to success for corporate as well as public service officials is well described in Debra Bentons new how-to book, The CEO Difference, for ambitious men and women on the way up in their organizations. Great suggestions never before presented are well illustrated. This is an easy read, well worth the time, and a very important addition to your library!

Dave Snowden, Chief of Police, Beverly Hills, CA

To my mom and dad, Teresa and Fred Benton,
who sadly have passed; and to my
cowboy, Rodney Sweeney

Copyright 2014 by Debra Benton. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-07-182835-2
MHID: 0-07-182835-4

The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07-182833-8, MHID: 0-07-182833-8.

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