It's been a number of years since I first read this book. After a second reading, I'm convinced that it's far more helpful than what I thought from my first read. Very insightful and practical framework from which to view work.

I was lucky enough to work at AlliedSignal and participate as Larry Bossidy ran the Execution machine he describes in this book. I have found it invaluable in transforming organizations of all sizes.

"Execution is a systematic process of rigorously discussing hows and what's, questioning, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability."

It is a commonly held belief that ideas are cheap but executing on them diligently towards a north star is what differentiates the entrepreneur from the rest. In "Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done", Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan dive deep into the foundational pieces that come together to run a successful business - they help us give structure to the process of execution. In today's knowledge economy where information spreads virally on a global scale discounting any early mover advantages, being execution savvy is the holy grail that companies need.

In the pre-mobile and pre-internet world, the job of an executive stopped at setting the strategy and giving motivational speeches to their employees. Whereas today, an executive must understand from soups to nuts within their areas to ensure things land well when the rubber hits the road - why is this so important? Any lost time in the execution process can turn into a competitive advantage for the competitors. Quote from the book: "Execution is not just tactics—it is a discipline and a system. It has to be built into a company’s strategy, its goals, and its culture. And the leader of the organization must be deeply engaged in it".

The process of execution itself is comprised of three areas: 1/ People, 2/ Strategy, and 3/ Operations.

Of all the 3 areas, the people part cannot be overstated. Hiring the right people and landing them in the right roles is critical. Companies that have a great strategy often fail because they have not reconfigured their organizations with the right folks. Organizations assume that a top performer in one area will be a top performer in a different area which may not be always true. Continually assessing the performance of individuals on their fit for tomorrow's job which the business might need is as important as reflecting and rewarding past contributions.

Once we have the right folks hired and aligned on the vision, we start discussing the hows of reaching the end state. This is the strategy process and is an equally important one. Organizations must consider various questions and inputs while building the multi-year strategy. Some examples include understanding the market, customers, and competitors, the organizations' strengths and capabilities, how much money the business can make, the headwinds facing the company, etc., In other words, it is an involved narrative interconnecting disparate parts of a system. Any good strategy should balance the short-term needs of the business with the long-term. Amazon is highly popular for its long-term focus. A favorite Bezos aphorism is “Your margin is my opportunity.”

The final piece of the execution process is operations. This is where reality comes into play and is probably the hardest phase. Seemingly benign things during planning can pose unanticipated challenges in practical operations. One of the hallmarks of operations is root cause analysis and putting mechanisms in place to get things done. We will likely get lucky during our operations stage but a good operations process will have checks and balances in place.

During operations, an executive can either micromanage vs. be plugged in - there is a subtle difference between the two. Micromanagement refers to being top-down and dictating every step of how the team operates. Being plugged in refers to being curious about the details and having an open dialogue with the team regarding the operations. Every team member wants their leadership to understand the project details and build empathy. We've seen situations where managers become completely hands-off thereby losing touch with reality - this is a recipe for surprises at the end.

In summary, the modern world is highly competitive and who wins the market ultimately boils down to the 3 pillars of execution: people, strategy, and operations. We can see them as a trifecta and strength in each pillar can reinforce the other two leading to multiplicative wins for the enterprise.

Rating - 7
Has some solid points, especially on how people, operations, and strategy are all tied to execution but at the end it became too preachy and example-specific that I started skimming through

The passage on meeting deliverables is something that I will start using, but when I compare the epiphanies of the Five Fables, I have no choice but to give this one a lower rating

Interesting Thoughts
Most strategies fail because they are not executed well. Gap is in what the organization wants to achieve and the ability of the organization to achieve it

Execution is a discipline and is integral to strategy
Execution is the major job of the business leader
Execution must be a core element of an org culture

Execution is a systematic way of facing reality and acting on it. Requires a comprehensive understanding of a business, its people, and its environment.

How people talk to each other will determine how the organization will function? Politics and butt-kissing lead to failure

Leaders energize - they know every detail about their business and they are passionate about results

Involve all stakeholders in putting together a plan, identify how you will execute the plan, set milestones, and develop contingencies for unexpected shifts in the market

Do not go into too many directions at once but listen to tomorrow’s customers as well as today’s

People imitate their leaders - what you did yesterday does not mean that you have to do it tomorrow

Seven Building Blocks

- Know your people and your business
- Insist on realism
- Set clear goals and priorities
- Follow through
- Reward the doers
- Expand people’s capabilities
- Know yourself

Leaders have to live their businesses
Always try and get the fresh perspective of newcomers

Does not matter who wins or loses in a debate - the most important part is that the debate happened

Realism is the heart of execution but too many orgs try to avoid reality

Questions to ask

- What are we doing right and wrong
- What do you like and not like about the org

Leaders who execute speak simply and directly - simplify so others can understand, evaluate, and act

Good orgs not only reward doers but also make sure that the staff understands that only doers are rewarded

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime

80% of teaching occurs outside the classroom, - every leader has to be a teacher

Good leaders learn their strengths and weaknesses, build on their strengths, and correct their weaknesses

Authenticity - you are real not fake - inner and outer are one

Humility - exhibit the attitude that you can learn from anyone, anytime - acknowledge your mistakes

As you gain experience in self-assessment, insights get converted into improvements that expand your personal capacity

The hardware of an organization (strategy/structure) is useless without the software (beliefs/behaviors)

Cultural change has to be linked with improving business outcomes

- Define the goals
- Plan to attain goals
- Reward for goals achieved
- Coach on goals missed


Teamwork, knowledge sharing, and co-operation are essential to winning in the marketplace - competition is external not internal

Always be a better listener

Do not reward on strong achievements on numbers but on desirable behavior as well

Leaders who create disproportionate awards for high-achievers and high-potential are creating social software - people will look to differentiate themselves

No one person has all the ideas and answers

Robust dialogue starts when people go in with open minds - do not be trapped by pre-conceptions or armed w a personal agenda

Informality gets the truth out - people are more relaxed

Businesses that are consistently successful focus on people selection

Non-negotiable criteria - what has to be present to succeed

Comfortable promotions are a recipe for disaster

Determination is more valuable than intelligence

Getting things done through others is a fundamental leadership skill

Micromanagers block initiative and make all key decisions whereas independents abandon without coaching

Never finish a meeting without clarifying what the deliverables are, who will do it, and when by
You have to show energy in execution not just talk about it

If your boss has not identified a weakness then go back because everyone has a weakness

Have to exceed not only on performance but also behavior

Identifying high-potential people avoids the dangers of org inertia (keeping people in the same job for too long) and promoting people too quickly

Preserving the dignity of people who leave jobs is an important part of reinforcing the positive nature of performance culture

A good strategic planning process pays attention to the hows of the execution

Good Strategic Plan

- Assesses external environment
- Understands existing customer
- Identifies growth and obstacles to growth
- Identifies the competition
- Balance between short and long term
- Identifies critical issue

People look at their businesses from the inside out - focus on making and selling and ignore the needs and behaviors of consumers

Most companies under-estimate a competitors responses

Do not take on too many projects and always ask questions

Budget should be the financial expression of the strategic plan but usually it is backwards - numbers are set without reason

SECTION ON BUDGET

Focus not only on the consumer, but the customer’s customer

A should-read book on execution for knowledge workers, managers, executives, and entrepreneurs.

There were some good things to think about as far as open and honest feedback from reviews and assessment. There were also some good points on when to take coaching opportunities. Most of the book was about setting expectations and following through by holding people accountable. There is a lot of emphasis on scrutinizing the business plans of underlings and driving out the specific actions to see if they have actually thought about it or just made up numbers to meet their performance objectives. The authors assume that money is the primary motivator of employees. They also assume that most everyone who is not in management wants to be promoted into management. I did not really enjoy this book, it sort of made me edgy.

I was intrigued by the title but after reading it came away with nothing I could apply to my own work which for me is the true measure of any business book does it have real life application. All of the anecdotes were of big business nothing that I felt was suitable for small business or a one man operation.

What a completely over-rated book. I suspect this made the top 20 best-ever booklist that led me to it on the basis that the title sounds good, like something a knowledgeable business person should advocate. Bossidy has earned the right to write on this topic, but the story lacks any sense of instructive meat. It's really more suited to a motivational speech or a Tom Peters interview. Reading 250+ pages was painful. Some business books are thoughtful; others make me really dislike business culture in general. This was exemplary of the latter. Bossidy and Charan's pompous tone was omnipresent, but the pinnacle came with Bossidy's way of explaining that every employee assessment should include something developmental, since even "The Good Lord had some development needs." I was slightly amused at their summary of the typical strategy review (a boring 4-hour sleeper that ends up decorating a credenza), but then sobered by the discussion about the engagement and discussion that should happen. Their 3 fundamental tasks where the leader must see execution: picking leaders, setting strategic direction, and running operations. They also made uncomfortable points about "emotional fortitude."

Excellent book.

Can't wait to read this one again

I was expecting this to be about executing in your personal life, not so much for work. This book is ideal for someone working in upper management. The title had me thinking it would focus on the discipline aspect of getting things done but it’s more so a checklist of how upper management can meet their targets.

This was a fine read but is mostly meant to target either fledgling leaders just entering a corporate executive position or one who is currently serving in such a capacity.

It has quite a lot of insightful information regarding management of large sets of people, resources, and funds in an efficient and realistic way. The information is, however, really only applicable if you are in a management position at a fairly high level in the organization.