The Diary of a CEO summary

by Steven Bartlett · 2023 · 7 key ideas · 15-minute read

A set of short 'laws' for business and life, drawn from Bartlett's own career and from psychology, about building yourself, influencing people and creating things that last.

Why read it

For ambitious people who want practical principles on self-belief, habits, marketing and teams, in short, punchy chapters that mix personal stories with research.

The Diary of a CEO in brief

Bartlett left university early, started companies in his early twenties and built a marketing agency that grew rapidly. His podcast, The Diary of a CEO, became one of the most popular in the world. The book distils what he learned, from his own experience and from his interviews, into 33 short laws.

The laws are grouped around a few themes. The first is the self: what you invest in, the story you tell yourself and the habits that shape you. The second is the story you tell others: how to influence, persuade and market in ways that work with human psychology.

The third is philosophy: how to think about failure, experimentation and long-term success. The last is the team: how to build groups of people who perform together.

Each law combines a personal anecdote with a principle and, often, research from psychology or behavioural science. The tone is direct and motivational, aimed at people who want to build something meaningful.

The 7 key ideas

1. Fill your five buckets in order

Learn, then skill, then people, then money, then reputation.

2. Guard your self-story

Every kept promise rewrites your story.

3. Don't fight a bad habit; replace it

Don't fight the habit. Out-design it.

4. Ask, don't tell

A question invites a commitment.

5. Psychological moonshots

Sometimes fix the feeling, not the thing.

6. Use the middle option

Options are judged against each other.

7. Out-fail the competition

More experiments, more failures, more wins.

Key takeaways

• Invest first in knowledge and skills; the other buckets follow.
• Keep small promises to yourself to build a stronger self-story.
• Replace bad habits by meeting the same need in a better way.
• Use questions, not instructions, to encourage commitment.
• Look for cheap ways to improve how things feel, not just how they work.
• Run more small experiments and treat failures as data.

Our take

The book is energetic, readable and packed with memorable ideas, and its mix of personal story and psychology makes the laws easy to apply. Its weaknesses are typical of the genre. Some laws lean on single studies or well-known experiments whose effects can be smaller or less reliable than presented, and the personal anecdotes come from one unusually successful career. The 'laws' are better treated as useful rules of thumb than as proven principles. For readers who want motivation and practical prompts, it delivers; those wanting depth on any one topic will need to read further.

About Steven Bartlett

Steven Bartlett co-founded the social media marketing company Social Chain, hosts the podcast The Diary of a CEO, and has been an investor on the BBC's Dragons' Den.

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