Disciplines like strategy, leadership development, and innovation are the sexier aspects of being at the helm of a successful business; actually getting things done never seems quite as glamorous. But as Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan demonstrate in Execution, the ultimate difference between a company and its competitor is, in fact, the ability to execute.

Execution is "the missing link between aspirations and results," and as such, making it happen is the business leader's most important job. While failure in today's business environment is often attributed to other causes, Bossidy and Charan argue that the biggest obstacle to success is the absence of execution. They point out that without execution, breakthrough thinking on managing change breaks down, and they emphasize the fact that execution is a discipline to learn, not merely the tactical side of business. Supporting this with stories of the "execution difference" being won (EDS) and lost (Xerox and Lucent), the authors describe the building blocks--leaders with the right behaviors, a culture that rewards execution, and a reliable system for having the right people in the right jobs--that need to be in place to manage the three core business processes of people, strategy, and operations. Both Bossidy, CEO of Honeywell International, Inc., and Charan, advisor to corporate executives and author of such books as What the CEO Wants You to Know and Boards That Work, present experience-tested insight into how the smooth linking of these three processes can differentiate one company from the rest. Developing the discipline of execution isn't made out to be simple, nor is this book a quick, easy read. Bossidy and Charan do, however, offer good advice on a neglected topic, making Execution a smart business leader's guide to enacting success rather than permitting demise. --S. Ketchum
The book that shows how to get the job done and deliver results . . . whether you’re running an entire company or in your first management job

Larry Bossidy is one of the world’s most acclaimed CEOs, a man with few peers who has a track record for delivering results. Ram Charan is a legendary advisor to senior executives and boards of directors, a man with unparalleled insight into why some companies are successful and others are not. Together they’ve pooled their knowledge and experience into the one book on how to close the gap between results promised and results delivered that people in business need today.

After a long, stellar career with General Electric, Larry Bossidy transformed AlliedSignal into one of the world’s most admired companies and was named CEO of the year in 1998 by Chief Executive magazine. Accomplishments such as 31 consecutive quarters of earnings-per-share growth of 13 percent or more didn’t just happen; they resulted from the consistent practice of the discipline of execution: understanding how to link together people, strategy, and operations, the three core processes of every business.

Leading these processes is the real job of running a business, not formulating a “vision” and leaving the work of carrying it out to others. Bossidy and Charan show the importance of being deeply and passionately engaged in an organization and why robust dialogues about people, strategy, and operations result in a business based on intellectual honesty and realism.

The leader’s most important job—selecting and appraising people—is one that should never be delegated. As a CEO, Larry Bossidy personally makes the calls to check references for key hires. Why? With the right people in the right jobs, there’s a leadership gene pool that conceives and selects strategies that can be executed. People then work together to create a strategy building block by building block, a strategy in sync with the realities of the marketplace, the economy, and the competition. Once the right people and strategy are in place, they are then linked to an operating process that results in the implementation of specific programs and actions and that assigns accountability. This kind of effective operating process goes way beyond the typical budget exercise that looks into a rearview mirror to set its goals. It puts reality behind the numbers and is where the rubber meets the road.

Putting an execution culture in place is hard, but losing it is easy. In July 2001 Larry Bossidy was asked by the board of directors of Honeywell International (it had merged with AlliedSignal) to return and get the company back on track. He’s been putting the ideas he writes about in Execution to work in real time.

The book that shows how to get the job done and deliver results... whether you're running an entire company or in your first management job

Larry Bossidy is one of the world's most acclaimed CEOs, a man with few peers who has a track record for delivering results. Ram Charan is a legendary advisor to senior executives and boards of directors, a man with unparalleled insight into why some companies are successful and others are not. Together they've pooled their knowledge and experience into the one book on how to close the gap between results promised and results delivered that people in business need today.

After a long, stellar career with General Electric, Larry Bossidy transformed AlliedSignal into one of the world's most admired companies and was named CEO of the year in 1998 by Chief Executive magazine. Accomplishments such as 31 consecutive quarters of earnings-per-share growth of 13 percent or more didn't just happen; they resulted from the consistent practice of the discipline of execution: understanding how to link together people, strategy, and operations, the three core processes of every business.

Leading these processes is the real job of running a business, not formulating a "vision" and leaving the work of carrying it out to others. Bossidy and Charan show the importance of being deeply and passionately engaged in an organization and why robust dialogues about people, strategy, and operations result in a business based on intellectual honesty and realism.

The leader's most important job -- selecting and appraising people -- is one that should never be delegated. As a CEO, Larry Bossidy personally makes the calls to check references for key hires. Why? With the right people in the right jobs, there's a leadership gene pool that conceives and selects strategies that can be executed. People then work together to create a strategy building block by building block, a strategy in sync with the realities of the marketplace, the economy, and the competition. Once the right people and strategy are in place, they are then linked to an operating process that results in the implementation of specific programs and actions and that assigns accountability. This kind of effective operating process goes way beyond the typical budget exercise that looks into a rearview mirror to set its goals. It puts reality behind the numbers and is where the rubber meets the road.

Putting an execution culture in place is hard, but losing it is easy. In July 2001 Larry Bossidy was asked by the board of directors of Honeywell International (it had merged with AlliedSignal) to return and get the company back on track. He's been putting the ideas he writes about in Execution to work in real time.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Management Take Notice
Comment: Execution is a must read for all Executives. So many in management have trouble making decisions for fear of the Old Boy Network politics. Larry Bossidy would have none of that, and changed out his Executive staff until he had one's who would EXECUTE!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Discipline - Not the Art
Comment: This book does a great job of helping a leader see the importance of staying disciplined enough to stay in the game, particularly with his or her people. I recommend this book for all organizational leaders - regardless of the position on the ladder.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Comment: I have shared this book with dozens of co-workers and employees at work. This is an outstanding roadmap for those who want to achieve greater results at work.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking if nothing else.
Comment: Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan are clearly sharp guys. I do agree with some of the other reviewers in that, at times, this book can be dry - and even redundant. But it's also full of straight talk and examples of strategies used by prominent and not-so-prominent leaders. Overall, very interesting stuff that will make you think twice about your actions.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Execute, Execute, Execute
Comment: As the title suggests, the book focuses on execution. Bossidy states that there are oodles of books on strategy, but there are precious few on Execution - thus his reason for writing the book, along with the advisor to CEOs, Ram Charan. After all, the best strategy in the world isn't worth a dime unless it is actually put in place.

The format of the book is simple and direct. First Bossidy defines execution. One definition he uses is great - the systematic way of exposing reality and acting on it. So many organizations come up with grand strategies that are based on unrealistic assumptions and/or they completely gloss over how the strategies are to be accomplished.

The book then discusses the three building blocks of execution to include Seven Essential Leadership Behaviors, Creating a framework for changing the culture of an organization, and having the right people in the right place.

The authors go on to describe the 3 essential processes required for execution: People, Strategy, and Operations. They describe how to set up each process in detail.

Several themes are echoed throughout the book to include...

* The need for robust dialogue, not only to get to the truth, but to be used as a teaching/learning tool.
* The intimate involvement of the executive in all facets of execution, to include follow up.
* The importance of linking the people, strategy, and operations processes together.

One of the flaws of the book, which is similar with many others that seek real world examples, is that no sooner does the book go to print than one of the exalted companies tanks.

With that said, there is a lot to be learned from this one. Bossidy is a pupil of Jack Welch, and that no-nonsense style is apparent. Many of the themes are the same, but some are indeed different or enhanced.

If your company is struggling, this book can help point you in the right direction. There is no miracle cure. You will need to take the medicine, but you will be better off for doing so.

-- Nick McCormick, Author, Lead Well and Prosper: 15 Successful Strategies for Becoming a Good Manager

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