Review by Kristi Jacobsen -- Inside the Mind of a Succes...
Posted: 24 Nov 2020, 22:47
[Following is a volunteer review of "Inside the Mind of a Successful CEO" by David V. Mastran.]
Inside the Mind of a Successful CEO: Managing in the Real World by Dr. David V. Mastran is a managerial manual for CEOs that details the lessons the author learned from his experiences as a CEO of MAXIMUS, Inc., and QuaverMusic. The author seeks to inform future managers and CEOs through a candid look into two vastly different companies and how he not only managed both but what he learned from his employees, outside contractors, and the business world in general.
Dr. Mastran's career began in the military in 1961. It spanned decades in public service in Washington, D.C., in the private sector as the founder and CEO of MAXIMUS, and the music business. After retiring from MAXIMUS in 2004, he started a music recording company, Mastran Music Group, and a few years later, a music technology company, QuaverMusic. His experience doesn't lie in just one industry, but several. Knowing the music industry and music technology industries well myself, I can appreciate the wisdom he bestows upon the reader in this book.
My rating for this book is 4 out of 4 stars . Dr. Mastran covers the gamut of a CEO's responsibilities through not just textbook definitions but through personal stories and the lessons he learned while the CEO of each company. The book begins with the basics - an introduction to management - and walks the reader through everything from lessons for all managers to communication, financial management, sales and customer service, and planning for the company's future. While books and texts on managerial topics are dry, filled with definitions and hypotheticals, Dr. Mastran takes a different approach with his personal experiences.
What I liked most about this book is the well thought out sequence of chapters. Each chapter flows seamlessly into the next, starting with the basics and moving through more advanced topics. What I disliked most about this book was some of the visuals included in the chapters. While many visuals exemplified the lesson, some did not and merely added a distraction from the text.
This book is well-edited, with only a few formatting issues in the bullet points possibly resulting from an error in inputting the text into the e-reader format. It is grammatically correct and well written, with a reading level suitable for the audience.
I recommend this book to students and future executives, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to truly understand how to be a CEO and run a company from real-life examples - not from hypotheticals and definitions. You'll learn from Dr. Mastran's mistakes and successes, take wisdom from someone who's been there and done that, and understand solutions to varying issues - from hiring and firing to taking a company public.
While the entire CEO experience would take up multiple volumes of a book, there is more than enough information, practical tips, advice, and wisdom to inspire and motivate the reader.
As an entrepreneur myself, I understand that I don't know everything there is to know about business and running a company. Inside the Mind of a Successful CEO will be my reference guide as I build and grow my business.
******
Inside the Mind of a Successful CEO
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Inside the Mind of a Successful CEO: Managing in the Real World by Dr. David V. Mastran is a managerial manual for CEOs that details the lessons the author learned from his experiences as a CEO of MAXIMUS, Inc., and QuaverMusic. The author seeks to inform future managers and CEOs through a candid look into two vastly different companies and how he not only managed both but what he learned from his employees, outside contractors, and the business world in general.
Dr. Mastran's career began in the military in 1961. It spanned decades in public service in Washington, D.C., in the private sector as the founder and CEO of MAXIMUS, and the music business. After retiring from MAXIMUS in 2004, he started a music recording company, Mastran Music Group, and a few years later, a music technology company, QuaverMusic. His experience doesn't lie in just one industry, but several. Knowing the music industry and music technology industries well myself, I can appreciate the wisdom he bestows upon the reader in this book.
My rating for this book is 4 out of 4 stars . Dr. Mastran covers the gamut of a CEO's responsibilities through not just textbook definitions but through personal stories and the lessons he learned while the CEO of each company. The book begins with the basics - an introduction to management - and walks the reader through everything from lessons for all managers to communication, financial management, sales and customer service, and planning for the company's future. While books and texts on managerial topics are dry, filled with definitions and hypotheticals, Dr. Mastran takes a different approach with his personal experiences.
What I liked most about this book is the well thought out sequence of chapters. Each chapter flows seamlessly into the next, starting with the basics and moving through more advanced topics. What I disliked most about this book was some of the visuals included in the chapters. While many visuals exemplified the lesson, some did not and merely added a distraction from the text.
This book is well-edited, with only a few formatting issues in the bullet points possibly resulting from an error in inputting the text into the e-reader format. It is grammatically correct and well written, with a reading level suitable for the audience.
I recommend this book to students and future executives, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to truly understand how to be a CEO and run a company from real-life examples - not from hypotheticals and definitions. You'll learn from Dr. Mastran's mistakes and successes, take wisdom from someone who's been there and done that, and understand solutions to varying issues - from hiring and firing to taking a company public.
While the entire CEO experience would take up multiple volumes of a book, there is more than enough information, practical tips, advice, and wisdom to inspire and motivate the reader.
As an entrepreneur myself, I understand that I don't know everything there is to know about business and running a company. Inside the Mind of a Successful CEO will be my reference guide as I build and grow my business.
******
Inside the Mind of a Successful CEO
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon