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19th out of 152 books
—
104 voters
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
"Execution may very well be the best business book of the year, and one of the most useful to have come around in a long time. This smart and pithy book focuses on a simple though vexing challenge: How can the leaders of an organization exhort their people to deliver on the most important goals?....It's rare to find a book like this that blends smart practice with intellig
...moreHardcover, 278 pages
Published
2002
by Crown Business
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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 cultu...more
Execution: The discipline of Getting Things Done: Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan
Central Truths:
1. Execution is a systematic process of rigorously discussing hows and whats, questioning, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability.
2. No company can deliver on its commitments or adapt well to change unless all leaders practice the discipline of execution at all levels.
3. You need robust dialogue to surface the realities of the business.
4. How people talk to each other absolutely deter...more
Central Truths:
1. Execution is a systematic process of rigorously discussing hows and whats, questioning, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability.
2. No company can deliver on its commitments or adapt well to change unless all leaders practice the discipline of execution at all levels.
3. You need robust dialogue to surface the realities of the business.
4. How people talk to each other absolutely deter...more
A former manager of mine once told me to read this book. That was back in 2007. It took me until now to read it, but now I understand why he had such high praise for the book.
Execution in it's simplest sense is to: get things done. Period. But it's more complex than those 3 words might suggest. It's about getting the right people in place, building a strategy around the resources available, and finally implementing the strategy, linking the strategy with people.
As with many other books on manag...more
Execution in it's simplest sense is to: get things done. Period. But it's more complex than those 3 words might suggest. It's about getting the right people in place, building a strategy around the resources available, and finally implementing the strategy, linking the strategy with people.
As with many other books on manag...more
I listened to the audio book. Ram Charan is a very good business strategist and knowledgeable in the area of getting things done. He is articulate and has a thick accent and is very hard to understand. Larry Bossidy is an ex-GE person and is all about process. Larry's stories were pretty good. I felt like I was reading another book about GE. I think it boils down to the fact that some people know how to get things done and others don't. Some people will have things happen because they have good...more
Nov 23, 2012
Robert Chapman
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
leadership,
personal-development
I gave this 3 stars not because it was a bad book, but rather because I think other books better convey a similar but more concise message. Those books would be The Oz Principle and The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals .
The idea that many people intellectualize, philosophize and cannot actually implement or execute is so very true, I have seen it over and over again in my career.
Leaders show up and get into the weeds, it builds dignity in subordinates. Forty perc...more
The idea that many people intellectualize, philosophize and cannot actually implement or execute is so very true, I have seen it over and over again in my career.
Leaders show up and get into the weeds, it builds dignity in subordinates. Forty perc...more
A very solid, important book in understanding the difference between "wanting" to do something and actually "doing" it. So many of us talk a good game about what we want to do, and then fail terribly at accomplishing our goal, while trying to rationalize our failure so that we feel good. And as somebody wisely said: "Rationalization is logic through self-deception." I've read this book twice, and it has provided great motivation to me over the past few years.
That said, it's not well written in a...more
That said, it's not well written in a...more
Full Discloser : I am a management consultant specializing in operations strategy.
This is insightful in that it focuses on the execution as the key to success (which I agree with). It also points out the critical need for CEO to follow through the execution phases (rather then stopping at the visioning and strategy formulation). It has good examples (although rather high level and abstract) and Larry B's commentary (i.e. what's going on in a CEO's head).
Up to Building Block section was a good...more
This is insightful in that it focuses on the execution as the key to success (which I agree with). It also points out the critical need for CEO to follow through the execution phases (rather then stopping at the visioning and strategy formulation). It has good examples (although rather high level and abstract) and Larry B's commentary (i.e. what's going on in a CEO's head).
Up to Building Block section was a good...more
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...more
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 inspir...more
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 inspir...more
this is a good book for all management people.
The Academy and the Company
Having experienced this phenomenon over the last year or so, I can safely attest to its accuracy. The shift between academic life and business life is stark, challenging, and effulgent.
The scholarly life requires deep rumination, careful consideration, and an ability to distill complexity into simplicity so that others might learn. In terms of delivery, the academic certainly has deadlines, but responsibility falls on one’s self. There are no clear and present responsi...more
Having experienced this phenomenon over the last year or so, I can safely attest to its accuracy. The shift between academic life and business life is stark, challenging, and effulgent.
The scholarly life requires deep rumination, careful consideration, and an ability to distill complexity into simplicity so that others might learn. In terms of delivery, the academic certainly has deadlines, but responsibility falls on one’s self. There are no clear and present responsi...more
I might have missed the point of this book, but what I came away with was:
- This is a book based in a different time and while execution is as fundamental to business success the "incarnation" in this book and its implementation is obsolete.
- It's hard to take it too seriously when statements that are key to the message of the book are based upon bad data.
- Most of what's usable in this book is just "re-branded" common sense. While they are good reminders they do not inspire nor impress.
- Stop t...more
- This is a book based in a different time and while execution is as fundamental to business success the "incarnation" in this book and its implementation is obsolete.
- It's hard to take it too seriously when statements that are key to the message of the book are based upon bad data.
- Most of what's usable in this book is just "re-branded" common sense. While they are good reminders they do not inspire nor impress.
- Stop t...more
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 s...more
I finally tossed this sucker aside after about the 84,000th mention of Jack Welch, in such s...more
This book is valuable to individuals and is even more value to senior leadership in organizations. I enjoyed considering the key difference between what behaviors successful companies exude. Also, I strongly agree that a culture of execution normally separates industry leaders from other companies. Here is my personal review of this book.
“Execution is a systematic process of rigorously discussing hows and whats, questioning, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability. It include...more
“Execution is a systematic process of rigorously discussing hows and whats, questioning, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability. It include...more
John had recommended this book to me, and I thought it made good sense to read given the number of projects to execute on my plate. After making it through the book, it was clear to me that for my purposes I could have read the first chapter and the letter at the end of the book very closely, and then just have skimmed the rest of the book.
My main takeaways are:
* Leaders actually get things done
* Do not hide from reality
* Link strategy with people and operations
I suspect this will be a book tha...more
My main takeaways are:
* Leaders actually get things done
* Do not hide from reality
* Link strategy with people and operations
I suspect this will be a book tha...more
I thought this read was refreshing in comparison with all of the other business books I've read. My only complaint is that corporate executives or very senior management are the intended audience. Insightful information regarding managing large groups of people, resources, and funds in a realistic way... that's not to say that it's unvaluable. Plenty of useful and applicable points. At a minimum, you can liken this book to the "energy" music people listen to while they're working out. The music...more
I think this is one of the most influential business books published in recent years. I think this book will be of great value to any decision-maker in any organization because the authors focus relentlessly on how some decision-makers get results and why most others don't. The basic principles of the book are simple: identify the best people, give them clear objectives, challenge them to improve and check up on them frequently.
The book offers good perspectives on the topic of execution. However what Bossidy and Charan are really doing is that they are talking about the importance of decision making. It is the small daily decisions along with the occasional large ones that together constitute execution. While execution is a good management jargon there needs to be more emphasis on the ways decisions are made in organisations.
If you see this book on the shelf of the guy interviewing you for your next job, leave.
Terrible book by reckless and mean managers who give corporations a bad name. Some useful lessons in the first 60 pages devolve into a tirade against responsible management. The authors believe that the only purpose of a manager is to maximize profits in the next quarter.
Terrible book by reckless and mean managers who give corporations a bad name. Some useful lessons in the first 60 pages devolve into a tirade against responsible management. The authors believe that the only purpose of a manager is to maximize profits in the next quarter.
“Larry Bossidy teams up with Ram Charan — a genius and one of my favorite authors of all time. They help you think through your plan, create a successful strategy to execute and develop a culture of getting things done. Successfully executing a plan year after year after year may be out of reach for most of us, but don’t pass this one up.”
This is the last business book I ever read. There is nothing particularly wrong with this book or this genre, it's just that there are only so many ways to say the exact same thing that every business book basically says. Plan, implement, evaluate, plan, implement, evaluate, etc. etc. etc. etc. Oh. And hold people accountable.
You know what? Despite all the hoopla I thought this book was average. It could be summarized like this: "Have goals. Check up on people. Git-R-Done!"
And that's all fine, as far as it goes. But like most business books it's just a bunch of stories and isn't really scientific or actionable.
And that's all fine, as far as it goes. But like most business books it's just a bunch of stories and isn't really scientific or actionable.
Most of this book is irrelevant, unless you happen to be a CEO. However, the sections evaluating and managing staff are well done. If you're a manager, and you aren't spending a healthy percentage of your time evaluating and developing your employees, then you're not doing your job.
I generally dislike "business books," and regularly counsel the businesspeople I work with to read just about anything *but* business books. However, EXECUTION is one business book I do like. It's direct and relevant, not overly jargon-laden, and offers useful ideas on how to engage people and organizations to define and execute plans. The fact that the book was co-written by an academic and a (former) practicing CEO may be a key to the book's success.
I like this book as an introduction to the unfamiliar perspective of a C-level leader or LOB manager, and what their concerns are, but it's somewhat light on specifics (even though it has some good examples) and could be condensed down to a much shorter book.
It failed to execute. I could not finish the book. I could not listen to more than one CD. I got so tired of hearing execution is about getting this done. They seemed to refuse to want to tell you how to get things done. They could not execute on their point.
Charan's book includes a myrid of stories and examples of failures and trumphs of American companies. The content is very dry with a simple message. Hire strong qualified people and a formulate a clear vision and your company/organization will suceed.
This book was recommended to me by a director at work.
It presents ideas and provides examples of the ideas being implemented and examples of the ideas having failed execution. I look forward to finishing this book and using the ideas at work.
It presents ideas and provides examples of the ideas being implemented and examples of the ideas having failed execution. I look forward to finishing this book and using the ideas at work.
It's a good skim. Feels like a business school course with case studies. Some themes stuck more than others. I think it's best read with experience that that can frame the studies presented. Def a read that will provide more as time goes on.
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.
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.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does execution trump empowerment? | 1 | 8 | Nov 02, 2011 06:49pm |
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Feb 04, 2010 10:22am