A bit lengthy written with two main messages:

1. As a CEO or a leader at the top level management, it is wrong to only focus on the planning or big pictures. The 'modern'
style of managing is to also make sure how to get the things done. Do not blame the staffs if execution goes wrong.

2. To do point 1 above, make sure you hire good people that are entitled to get things done. To do so, you have to use all channels of reference checking, contact people that know your candidates closely.

Very inspiring, but could have been written in a much more concise way.

One of my mentor suggested that I read this book and I thank my stars for getting to read this book just at the right time. It covers everything from planning, execution, what can go wrong and how to be alert in execution. A good book to read for everyone who aspire to grow in management line though it specifically talks about leaders and CEO. The same concept can be applied at all levels of management.

2014: Excelent book.

I learned a lot of things from Bossidy and Charan, specially that execution is not something you delegate, it is the direct responsibility of the leader. I also learned that business plans have to be so detailed, they become daily guides.

The only thing I didn't like is that they wrote the book from the perspective of huge company, in the billions of dollars of sales category. I understan that is the primary area of expertise of the author, but I would like to read a book this good intended for medium size companies and start ups.

I highly reccomend this book.

2017: Even Better

I just finish re-reading this book, looking for ways to apply Bossidy's and Jack Welch's teachings on creating an execution culture to small and medium size companies.

I still find this book amazing and revealing. In my company we now have and operating plan, and are working on stepping our managers up to a culture of accountability.

The authors recommendations will become a guided plan for becoming as execution oriented as Honeywell and GE.

I still, highly recommend this book.

Presents a helpful framework for leaders to drive execution: the People process, the Strategy process, and the Operations process. Written by Larry Bossidy, one of Jack Welch's key lieutenants at GE and later CEO at Allied Signal / Honeywell. A bit dated (written in 2002) and most applicable for large organizations, but still lots of actionable ideas to drive performance for all leaders.

A rambling mess that seemed to have never crossed an editor's desk, this book read as though it was literally spoken into a tape recorder, transcribed and then published. As to its subject matter: I cannot think of one bromide the "authors" managed to leave out, particularly of the tautological sort. You hire good people by....hiring good people, you build good products by....building good products. Wow.

I finally tossed this sucker aside after about the 84,000th mention of Jack Welch, in such slobbering terms they'd make a St. Bernard blush.

So, a "WTF?" is not an inappropriate way to end this review. The authors have obviously done a great deal in the business world, done it quite well and should have a great deal of constructive, practical advice to offer. Well, it ain't in this book, gang. Sorry. Indeed, I'm borderline to calling this work an insult to anyone who picks it up, expecting something remotely resembling the blurbs on the back cover. I don't know what they were reading, but it could not possibly have been this mess.

Great book and is also available as a talking book.

There were some good/useful nuggets, but it was a little more business-focused than I anticipated.

Loved this book. Again, had to read it for a class but man do all business leaders need to read it. Turn your goals into results people! Stop sitting around and waiting for someone under you to do it for you!

After seeing how the comanpy was executing the last 3 year strategy and joining the company's recent 3 year strategy planning exercise, I read this book. Even it is not a very new book,but it looks like our company culture is far older than what is described in this book. Execution culture is not in place and strategy is not well planned.


people, structure, strategy make things happen. The key element of making things happen -people strategy and operation


building block one: 7 essentials -know your people and business, insist on the realisim, set clear goals, priorities and follow through, reward the does, expand people's capabilities.

Building block two: creating the framework for culture change 1)operationalize culture, 2) social structure mechanism: concil meeting, right governance structure 3)importance of robust dialogue - power of informal meeting is open for out of the box discussion s. formal meeting review is more about sale and show, not munch room for questions.

Building block 3- have right people on the right place reasons why the right people not in place-lack of courage, capability the psychological comfort zone

People process: 1. Linking people to strategy and operations 2.develop the leadership pipeline through CI, succession depth and reducing retention risk, 3. dealing with non performer 4. Link Hr to business operations

Strategy process: define where we are now, future and how.

Operation process: make sure the strategy is translated to operational plans.

Key learning from Counceltancy: sense of urgency, project management

ISBN-10: 0609610570 ISBN-13: 978-0609610572
Definition of Execution – The gap between what companies want to do and the ability of their leaders to get it done. It is a system of getting things done through questioning, analysis and follow through.

SECTION 1: WHY EXECUTION IS NEEDED
Chapter 1 – The chapter starts off by indicating that execution is its own discipline. Executable strategies need to be converted to operational plans. Put the right people in the right jobs. Change is fast and it is faster than ever. Strategy often fails because it is not executed well. Velocity is the ratio of sales dollars to assets deployed. Tactics are important but tactics are not execution. Execution is rigorous discussion of numerous subjects, tenacity and accountability. There are 3 parts to execution; people, strategy and operations. The leader must be totally immersed in the organization. Six Sigma and continuous improvement is very important. Execution does not work if only a few people practice it. It must be pervasive in the organization.

Chapter 2 – Intelligence is important but so is getting things done. An individual must follow through. How to make execution work: Involve people responsible for the strategy and has goals based on organizational abilities, Ask how people will specifically succeed, Set milestones for progress. The book gives examples of failure Lucent and Xerox and success such as at EDS. Use “intense candor” balanced optimism by discussion of good and bad. Book discusses the past fallacy of each individual doing their part and contrasts this to each part being in total and complete collaboration of the whole organization.
SECTION 2: BUILDING BLOCKS

Chapter 3 – Chapter 3 introduces the 7 behaviors that are essential for execution: Know your people and your business, realism, Set clear goals/priorities, follow through, reward doers, expand capabilities, know yourself. The point is made to bring some people in from the outside or you are always “washing in the same dishwasher.” This is an obvious effort to avoid groupthink. Use coaching to connect to make managers see the business more clearly and to connect them to the external environment. Presence is important. Manage by walking around (Machiavelli). Use plain talk and personal notes. Jack Welch did this a lot. Be sure to be real and follow through. Numbers are important and so is behavior. Be sure to overcome “emotional blockage.” Management requires certain decisions and emotional blockage can get in the way. Be aware and authentic to the workers, have humility and be in control of yourself.

Chapter 4 – Go from a nonperformance to a performance culture, domestic to global, and from static to continuous improvement. Culture is the sum of the company-shared values. GE and Welch say “Boundarylessness.” If you have violations of rules have “emotional fortitude” and speak out about it. The chapter gives examples of old and new EDS values and beliefs. Use the feedback and be honest. Again refers to Welch and having courage to reward winners and to speak out about sub-par performance. Individuals should do better than they did last year. The chapter says the organization is structured but it is always one unit. Improve diversity of teams “social software” and allow people to have contact with each other were they would normally not. Understand organization as a whole. This achieves transparency and simultaneous action. Use collaboration and robust dialog. Motto: “Truth over Harmony.” Be informal and have candor. Formality is bad (Welch) and informality gets the truth out. All of this gives people the opportunity to excel and it gives intensity to people. Higher managers can see who can excel in this environment and assess the growth potential. Be professional and candid and like what you do.
Chapter 5 – Put people in their correct place… reminded me of the Hermann brain dominance theory…. and they will excel. Top manager should not delegate assessing the people individually. Get the knowledge you need about a person to make the assessment and then have the courage to make a decision. Know the difference between talking a good game and actually being able to perform. Informality sometimes masks a will to win. Be sure to select the DOER. Take determination over IQ. DOERs have good work habits and drive and they manage to get things done. They also energize people. Investigate the personality and see if the commitments are met. If one cannot work with others they waste their time and others. Too many hours are a sign of inefficiency. Have meetings and summarize the outcomes. Embed this in the DNA of the organization. Look at people for their results and see if they set priorities, milestones etc. Make a full picture. Check not just that people met their commitments but how they did it. Did they sacrifice long run for the short run? Talk to people and note the strengths, weaknesses and indicate if they can change, improve, mitigate things. Allow them to inquire into why you think that way. All of this allows you to get the right person into the right job.
SECTION 3: THE 3 CORE PROCESSES OF EXECUTION

Chapter 6 – Link the strategy and operations. Develop framework: 1) Link the strategic plan to short, medium and long-term milestones and the ops plan. Make specific targets. 2) Develop leadership pipeline through continuous improvement 3) Decide what to do about non-performers 4) Transform the mission and ops of HR. Use charts for performance and behavior. Look at potential and promotable people and continuous improvement. Develop plans for succession and depth of organization. Know when to dismiss and give up, let them leave with dignity. Deciding person for job considers: 1) A good fit, 2) A stretch, 3) No action required. Uses Duke Power example to assess what people to advance.

Chapter 7 – Strategy – to win the customer’s preference and to create a sustainable competitive advantage while rewarding shareholders. How do we make the strategy? We must get it from the minds of the people that are close to the action. After making it consider the macro and microenvironment and the competition, think of the assumptions and the short and medium term to assist the long term. Then ask if you have the right people in the right places. The chapter uses AT&T as example of good strategy but not feasible. The strategy must be built and owned by those that will use it. Start by looking at the business as a growth or not growth. Plan should give synopsis of the business and ask who is successful in the business. A strong plan asks: 1) External environment, 2) How do we understand the market? 3) What is the best way to growth with profit, what are the obstacles? 4) Competition? 5) Can we do it? 6) Do we have a balance of the short and long term? 7) Milestones, 8) Critical issues? 9) How will we profit on a sustainable basis? Ask who is buying, use market segmentation, reaction of competition and do not be afraid. Ask if it is likely if we can execute? Include experience, quality and tools needed when you ask and if you can get them. Know what to do between now and the long term. Be sure to raise critical issues asking questions in a “What if?” manner. Look at financial issues for sustainability. Look at cost structure, cash needed, investment, need for revenue growth and competition reaction. Add to robustness of plan with numbers.

Chapter 8 – The Strategy review – All new plans should have new ideas. Do not rehash the old plan and determine if the new idea is feasible. Look at the following 5 things about the plan: 1) Are teams familiar with competition?, 2) How strong is the organization to execute the strategy? 3) Is plan scattered or focused? 4) Are the ideas right? 5) Do we link the right people with operations? Do not dilute the focus and be clear about the plan. Be in the right business, is it core? Do we have the knowledge? Can we succeed? If you have 5 ideas and money for only 3 pick the 3 best and do not worry about the others. Match the people with the ideas and see if they are still feasible. The strategic plan must be transferable into the Operating plan. Determine if you can do it and what the costs are both financial and opportunity. Only bite off what you can chew and ask questions. Write letters to each individual reviewing what you agreed on.

Chapter 9 – Linking Strategy with OPS – The strategy is where the business wants to go. The OPS plan is the plan or path on how it will get there. Make if definite, not vague. We want to do better than last year is not good. Include other plans such as marketing plans. Involve many people and make contingency plans. Make sure people buy in and that they are not protecting their turf. Do not allow them to sandbag or chose lower numbers. Numbers should be high but doable. Consider what price cuts or increases will do to other parts of the business such as production or other functions. Do not allow hoarding of information. Insist on synchronization, meaning moving parts all move together. This includes common understanding. This allows synergy and serendipity. Consider good and bad times, the competition and the effects on your own marketing, manufacturing and finance people. Expect different reactions and wok these out for the organization and not the individuals. Consider labor and lead times for suppliers along with other contingencies. Do not have myopia for a single trend or customer. Game theory, ask and think like your competition. Consider time differences between the mobilizations of products and plans. When building the plan consider the revenue, margins, productivity, cash flow and market share. Do the budget top down so you will not have to do it again when bottom up costs are too high. Be prepared for trade offs and look at the macroeconomic trends to see how this affects the ops and strategy plans. The leader ensures the plan is followed and that accountability is followed. When OPS plan is done review it and have question answer session to verify and discuss it. This energizes and builds the “social software” of the company. Be sure to do quarterly reviews and set realistic targets. Be ready to change the targets based on the new market data and information. Stretching the goals in a realistic manner leads to a development of new paradigms. E.g. Sam Walton lowering prices. Overall- link individuals to create a whole.

Mark D

I think the book is overrated.

Although it includes some useful tips, however it lacks the deep thoughts that one can expect form such an over-hyped book.

Hubiese querido que llegara antes a mi mesa. Muy buenos consejos y sobre todo esos 3 procesos que no debemos de olvidar.