Georgie Dickins - The C-Suite Confidant: Lessons from Stratospheric CEOs

Georgie Dickins is a C-suite coach, confidant, and author who works behind the scenes with Fortune 50 executives and founder-CEOs building multi-billion-dollar companies. Her book, Stratospheric CEOs (Rethink Press, 2024), distills the lessons of seven elite founder-CEOs into one collection of hard-won wisdom.In this episode of Book the Business, Georgie tells Joe Gregory:- Why she left 20 years in corporate banking to become a C-suite advisor- How a single conversation with a founder became the spark for her book- Why ghostwriters and AI clip-generators couldn't capture the nuance she needed- The leadership aphorisms she's collected from stratospheric CEOs: "raise the bar, widen the gap," "if it ain't broke, break it," and "two ears, one mouth"- Why storytelling — not strategy — might be the #1 skill of top leaders today- How her book became a "living, breathing CV" that opened doors she never had to ask for- The launch of her upcoming Stratospheric Leadership Institute🔗 Find Georgie: georgiedickins.com🎧 Listen to Stratospheric Leaders on Spotify & Apple Podcasts📖 Georgie's book: Stratospheric CEOs (Rethink Press)Chapters00:00 Intro: Meet Georgie Dickins00:48 Why she wrote Stratospheric CEOs02:46 Leaving 20 years of corporate banking04:34 Choosing the niche: founder-CEOs in fintech06:01 The "pinch me moment" that got Lance Iglor on board07:24 The mission: democratizing CEO-level wisdom09:42 Why "stratospheric," not just "successful"11:07 Why ghostwriters (and AI) couldn't write the book for her12:43 Writing 50% of the book on a rainy family holiday13:39 What actually drives billionaires who "have it all"16:15 "Raise the bar, widen the gap" — Lance's leadership motto16:52 "If it ain't broke, break it" — Henry Fernandez's philosophy18:09 Curating bespoke leadership books (Raise the Bar)21:08 The 2024 NYC book launch with 120 global leaders23:14 The book as a "living, breathing CV"24:09 Writing before AI was on anyone's radar25:37 More nuggets: "wombats," "common sense isn't common practice"26:47 Why execution — not ideas — separates top CEOs27:23 "Two ears, one mouth": the listening discipline of top leaders29:24 Why storytelling is the #1 leadership skill32:05 Where AI can't go: real stories, real trust33:25 Appropriate vulnerability vs. oversharing35:01 Inside the coaching room: advisory + coaching hybrid39:18 Convening CEO circles and Women in Leadership events42:00 Shout-out: her son Arthur's Rugby Legends Podcast44:37 Where to find Georgie and Stratospheric Leaders