Aesop & the CEO: Powerful Business Insights from Aesop's Ancient Fables

by David Noonan

It is easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of business books flooding the market today. Even more daunting is the task of weeding through them to find the "golden nugget" of wisdom inside. In Aesop and the CEO, David Noonan has simplified the process by providing this well-researched primer of the most essential advice from the greatest business books ever written. Further, in a clever melding of modern business sense and ancient wisdom, he has used the animal-based stories of Aesop as springboards to launch these 50 lessons. Both entertaining and informative, Aesop and the CEO includes advice from well-known leaders such as Bill Gates, Sam Walton, Donald Trump, and Lee Iacocca. The short, easy-to-read vignettes cover every aspect of corporate negotiations, hiring and firing, mergers and acquisitions, marketing and sales, and day-to-day management.

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2005

About the author

David Noonan is an Australian artist known for his distinctive collage-based practice that merges found imagery with screen-printing, painting, and textile work to explore themes of performance, ritual, and the theatrical. Born in Ballarat, Victoria in 1969, Noonan studied fine art at Ballarat University College and later earned his MFA from the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. He relocated to London, where he currently lives and works.
Noonan's work has been widely exhibited internationally, with solo shows at leading institutions including the Tate Modern in London, Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Chisenhale Gallery, and the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis. His haunting, monochromatic pieces often draw from archival sources such as stage productions, avant-garde film, and folk traditions, lending his art an enigmatic and timeless quality.
In 2020, he was featured in the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, and his exhibition Stagecraft at the Art Gallery of Ballarat reflected his long-standing interest in performance and transformation. His work is held in major public and private collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate, the Guggenheim, the National Gallery of Australia, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Reviews

[Nick Yee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical analysis of Aesop's Fables

[Kweku Ananse Mansoh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very practicing life lesson made easy to relate with the scenes portrayed. Good read.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+ stars

[Bobbi Dunham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and enjoyable read - the examples are a bit dated now but Aesop kindles timeless ideals. For me, it was a good refresher to start the new year.

[Akinloye Olu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the short fables that accompanied each chapters, also the entire book really broaden my business insights.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relates the everyday tales we hear (Tortoise and the Hare, Fox and the Crow) to business situations. It challenges the person to look at how they are living their professional lives and what they can do to make it better. The tales make the business situations easier to understand and relate too.

[Bambo Busari · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good fable pointing out modern day morals that is not only applicable to business but also to life in general. I feel the Author could and should have expanded on some stories. But all in all, an easy at-one-sitting read.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the CEO of the Nash houshold, wink-wink, I really liked this book. It has applicable lessons for life, not just corporate business.

[Eanggraeni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the indonesian edition though.
After reading this, I think I have to read more books that mentioned in this book.

[Kirk Bower · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't buy!