Sean Barrs 's Reviews > The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life

“Stories are the single most powerful weapon any leader can arm themselves with – they are the currency of humanity. Those who tell captivating, inspiring, emotional stories rule the world.”

I’m slowly playing catch-up on all the books I’ve read this year and adding them to Goodreads. I’ve been neglecting my account for a little while, though this was the first book I read in 2024 and it felt like a great way to start the year. I liked this quote in particular and it applies well to Steven’s own story.

His story is one of success. I like to start a year by reading a book like this because it feels refreshing and uplifting. Last year’s was Atomic Habbits, which Steven quotes here and uses the framework in his own journey. The impression I got of Steven here is that he is a driven and disciplined individual who has worked hard to gain his position, money and influence. I first became aware of his content after seeing him on Dragon’s Den, so I listened to his Podcast which I really enjoyed.

In the book, Steven mentions that he knows some people will skim several of the chapters. This suggests that he knows some of them are a little weak. Some of the laws are really great, though there’s a few that felt like mere page fillers and Steven clearly knows this. Sometimes less is more. Perhaps Steven had a word count to hit? If so, I think this book would have worked better if it focused on the stronger laws and expanded on them and strengthened them with examples.

Overall, it's great it parts and there's some really strong quotes in here though there are some weak parts.