Execution

By Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

Execution is recommended by my CEO Roundtable, so we're in to it  now! According to the dust jacket: "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."

 We will  undoubtedly pull this book apart by the paragraph and page in the CEO  Roundtable, but I couldn't wait to finish it between meetings. Bossidy and  Charan give us great insight into how we can transform our business culture to  be one of continual execution. Practical examples and case studies are provided,  along with pithy sayings that will help us get the point across to our peers,  managers, and employees. Bossidy states that: "Here is the fundamental problem:  people think of execution as the tactical side of the business, something  leaders delegate while they focus on the perceived 'bigger' issues. This idea is  completely wrong. Execution is not just tactics—it is a discipline and a  system."

The layout of the  book, and its progress is logical and very helpful. The first part is dedicated  to why execution is needed, the second to the building blocks of execution and  the third part is dedicated to the three core processes of execution. This last  and perhaps most practical section of the book defines the three core processes  as people, strategy and operations. The integration of these processes into a  coherent set of business processes is key to the success of an organization.  "The discipline of execution based on the three core processes is the new theory  of leadership and organization distilled from practice and abbreviation."

Clear and concise  writing, a few well placed graphics, and an obvious passion for the subject make  this an excellent book for the Management Library. It will be among my reference  volumes for some time to come.

[Click on the book  image to see it at Amazon]
 

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