By his mid-fifties, Mike Wilson had been at the helm of two extremely successful companies, which he had driven to the top through his energy, dedication and a rare ability to inspire people to follow him. It was at this point that he realised his life was solely focused on work; it was time to make some serious changes.
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Within SJP, Mike’s one-to-one mentoring sessions were legendary. When he stepped down from his role as CEO of St. James’s Place, he devoted increasing amounts of his time to helping colleagues – from inside and outside the company – to fulfil their potential, always preparing carefully for meetings and following up afterwards. Each session was tailored to the individual, but there were important themes that applied to everyone.
A few years ago, he decided to collect the lessons he had learnt from a lifetime in business into a book. “How to be Chief Executive of Your Own Life” is the result.
Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the St James's Place Charitable Foundation
In many ways, it is a mirror of Mike, defying categorisation. It is not a conventional self-help manual, a history of building one of the most successful and admired companies in the UK, a guide to achieving the perfect work-life balance, nor an autobiography – but rather a combination of all four.
Including sections on visualisation, organisation, running meetings, firing people, creating a company’s culture and “the hidden secret” of charitable giving, it does exactly what the title suggests – all threaded through with stories of his life and his experience in business. It is relevant to everyone, whether you are already at the top of your tree, hoping to get there, or have no grand career ambitions; whether your daily meetings involve hundreds of people and millions of pounds, or one friend at the café at the end of the road. Written with humour and humility, it is Mike Wilson captured forever between covers.