Average Rating: 
Rating:  - An OK Business Book
"Execution" is an OK book for those who want to read about business. The authors point out that many CEOs are very intelligent, great at strategy, and come from top business schools, but they fail to implement their plans, often because the people they manage don't do anything to execute the plans.Bossidy and Charan write: "... unless you translate big thoughts into concrete steps for action, they're pointless." And, good CEOs say "unless I can make this happen, it's not going to matter." The authors see execution as the missing link between aspirations and results. In particular, strategy must be broken down into doable initiatives. For example, anyone can say his goal is to grow profits by 10%. But, where is that 10% going to come from? Which products to which customers? What steps are you going to take to market the products? The authors argue that you should focus upon three or four priorities. The authors say that if you have ten priorities you don't know what priorities are. Of course, the same logic can be used to say you really only have one priority. But, I fundamentally agree. Once you've got six or more priorities, it's easy to only do the ones you really want to do while the really important ones don't get finished. If you write the top three, you might find none is particularly fun, but they're all really important. Selecting the right people for the right job is crucial, as is following thorough to see that your goals are implemented. A good chunk of a CEO's time should be spent hiring and developing people. Technical people sometimes don't make great leaders because developing people really doesn't interest them. This said, if you're well-read about business, and, especially, if you've read "Good To Great," "Primal Leadership," and "First Break All The Rules," you might find little that's truly new in this book. Peter Hupalo
Author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur"
Rating:  - A different management book
This was an atypical management book - rather than focus on "the idea that changes everything" or "the next revolution", it dives into the nuts and bolts of getting things done. In today's economy, this is what we need.The authors bring distinct viewpoints: Larry Bossidy has the hardnosed viewpoints of a product of the GE management machine. He lived through the GE execution culture and reapplied it at the Honeywell. Ram Charan displays the broader view of a business school professor with extensive senior level consulting. The book starts with a self evident description of why execution is needed. It moves into the types of behaviors a leader should exhibit, and how they set up the framework for change. It concludes with the three major processes an execution oriented leader should run: people, strategy and operations. Yes - the book is generic, but it has to be to reach a broad audience. The concept of focusing on all 3 areas: people, strategy and operations is obvious, but important. In the context of calling them processes - it becomes a discipline. The general management focus and need for ongoing persistance is valuable to people of all levels. There are some interesting ties to other management gurus. Tom Peters - as outlandish as he may be - is also big on getting things done. Deming's quality approach is ultimately about application. Collins in Built to Last focuses on execution - the steady and stable leader trumps the charistmatic showpiece. The ideas developed here have been building for some time. Their time to come to the front of every executive's thought is now. The book does have a few knocks:
- If Bossidy built such a great culture for success at Honeywell, why did it fall apart immediately after his exit?
- Is there any hard research behind this? (With a former Harvard and Kellogg alum, you'd expect some)
- There is much less focus on the customers than one would expect. Despite these small misgivings, this is most definitely a useful read for any manager or aspiring leader.
Rating: - A Powerful Message in Plain Language
When a company gets in trouble and the leadership is shown to the door, who does the board of directors look for as a replacement? A leader with a proven track record to EXECUTE. Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan lay out the building blocks for assembling an execution-focused organization in plain language, and supplement their approach with numerous anecdotes. Most, if not all, of their "how NOT to manage" anecdotes had me shaking my head -- because almost all of us can personally relate them to our own corporate experiences (for example, when the leader sacrifices future performance to make his quarterly numbers or a senior management team agrees that actions need to be taken without assigning concrete actions and accountability). This book is a quick and engaging read, and the book is definitely grounded more in real corporate experiences than in academic theories. The wisdom gained from those corporate experiences returns propriety to the often hollow expression "people are our most important asset." Companies who follow the guidelines of "Execution" know that processes are useless without the right strategies, and strategies are useless without the right people engaged and accountable for executing them.
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