Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done | Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan, ...

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done | Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan, ... | A "Must Read" for Executives

books:

Execution: The Dis...

	Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan, ... Crown Business, 2002 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 231 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

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.

for more information click here

developing strategies that work

The title "execution" may make you think this book is about executing decisions after they have been made. This is not at all the case. This book describes everything you have to do to develop strategies that are likely to succeed. It describes three processes, the strategic process, the people process and the operational process. The book describes in the most detail the people process. If you do not have the right people in the right positions the strategic process and operational processes will fail. These three processes are interdependent. The interdependence and the processes are described very clearly. That enables you to test if you are operating the right way.
The book describes "operationalizing" culture. The book describes operationalizing culture, where culture is defined as the sum of its shared values, beliefs and norms of behaviour. It is a very good chapter with an example of the wrong culture and right culture. The book from Louis Gerstner "Who says elephants can't dance is very helpful as is "From Good To Great" by Jim Collins. culture is defined as the sum of its shared values, beliefs and norms of behaviour. It is a very good chapter with an example of the wrong culture and right culture. It is a major challenge to figure out what the culture should be. The book from Louis Gerstner "Who says elephants can't dance" is very helpful as is "From Good To Great" by Jim Collins on this point.
Dialogue is also described as an essential part of operationalising culture. It is a very important goal requiring a great deal of skill and effort you should not underestimate. The book "On dialogue" from David Bohm is worth reading as it explains very lucidly all the obstacles you have to be overcome.
The "execution" book presents an excellent framework of processes that include establishing the right culture, using, what are referred to as "robust" and "candid"dialogues

for more information click here

A "Must Read" for Executives

If a business leader were to select one book as a guide to success, this would be my choice. As a former AlliedSignal executive, I have seen these practices applied and reinforced; I have also seen the results that they deliver. The book defines Execution as "...a systematic process of rigorously discussing hows and whats, questioning, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability." This clearly, crisply defines what must be the major focus for each executive in today's challenging business climate.

The 7 Essential Behaviors for Leaders should be posted on the office wall of every executive. They are timeless and appropriate in any business serving any industry.

The 3 Core Processes collectively cover all business activities that directly impact the ability to deliver superior performance - People, Strategy, and Operations. The discipline of structured, interactive reviews that cover the breadth and depth of the issues is a critical element, and written notes and action items provide a tangible record of decisions and "next steps".

The 3 Principles of Execution capture the essence of the subject matter. I find the first principle especially insightful - "Execution is a discipline and integral to strategy".

I strongly recommend that every leader in business read (and reread) this book.

for more information click here

Muy buen libro

Un libro muy ameno que muestra cómo una organización puede alinearse en post de un objetivo común, hacer las cosas bien, sin lugar a dudas, un libro que hay que leer

Obviously if you're going to get things done, you gotta "execute" them...

This (audio) book has some good examples of bad execution that lead to recent high-profile corporate troubles, and then gives some suggestions on how to do things. A lot of it is common sense and discipline, though, but there are a few helpful items - especially if you didn't pay the new-item proce and got it used :)

Inspiring

Inspiring book. I also loved 'Running with the Rhinos" most recently published and fantastic insight on leadershipRunning with the Rhinos: Courageous Leadership for a Complex World

for more information click here