I have a strong affection for my book, CEO Capital: A Guide to Building CEO Reputation and Company Success. It was my first book and in many ways, very painful. I worked most weekends and vacations for two years and lost lots of sleep and cherished time with my family. Writing a book is a very humbling experience (an understatement). However, it is dear to my heart because it was a labor of love. I’ve always been fascinated by leadership and how those in charge “take charge” and build reputations on behalf of many. Yesterday, Paul Holmes wrote in his Holmes Report  that CEO Capital was one of the best pr books of the decade. Below  is what he wrote. CEO reputation (and my book)  is not about CEO celebrity but CEO credibility. That is what I built the book is based on.  This honor means a lot to me because I firmly believe that CEOs can make a tremendous difference if they add meaning to people’s lives and create value from the contributions that business can make to the world around us. 

CEO Capital

By Leslie Gaines-Ross

Leslie Gaines-Ross, now with Weber Shandwick, was B-M’s chief knowledge officer when she wrote CEO Capital: A Guide to Building CEO Reputation and Company Success, which built on the firm’s research and presented a roadmap for CEO’s who understand the increasing importance of both personal and institutional credibility. CEO reputation, Gaines-Ross said, is dependent upon three “C” factors—credibility, code of ethics, and communicating internally—and two “M” factors—attracting and retaining a quality management team and motivating and inspiring employees. The book built a formidable case that particularly in the post-Enron world, CEOs need to invest in their own reputations in order to build those of their organizations, a substantial addition to the literature of the profession, and a manifesto supported by compelling original research and informed by intelligent, sympathetic analysis. It was also a rare book about public relations that preaches not to the choir but to the choirmasters.