Customer Reviews

Execution

5 star:		(93)
4 star:		(61)
3 star:		(48)
2 star:		(24)
1 star:		(38)

 

 

My dogged desire to get through this book ruined the first half of a windsurfing vacation in Aruba.

It's very, very dry going, and at the end one wonders what, if anything the authors really had to say.

It sounds on the surface like cutting edge management practice. For instance Bossidy and Charan introduce the concept of "the social software of execution" as a key element for creating the framework for cultural change in the organization. They go on to elaborate, "A key component of software is what we call Social Operating Mechanisms". At this point I was on the edge of my chair, ready to absorb what was being teed up as an idea of potentially transformational impact. So what are Social Operating Mechanisms? The authors go on to explain, "These are formal or informal meetings, presentations, even memos or e-mail exchanges - anywhere that dialogue takes place".

Wow - this is really deep stuff...

One wonders why the authors don't simply refer to communication rather than Social Operating Mechanisms. And, as a separate matter, the lack of literacy is surprising. Since when, for example, are memos and e-mail exchanges places?

Stripped of all of this, what the authors have to say is simple common sense that can be summarized as follows:

* Successful companies have the important ability to get things done (or execute).

* Good leadership (knowing people, setting clear goals, following through, etc.) is a prerequisite of execution.

* Reward systems, communications, and feedback processes need to foster action and provide incentives for getting things done.

* Some people are more capable than others are to get things done. These are the people that should be put in positions of authority in the organization.

* Strategic plans need to reflect the real world and link to operational plans. They also need to be tested for feasibility in the context of the organization's capabilities.

None of this is rocket science, that is until one begins to cloak it in management techno speak such as that described above.

And one more thing. The editor should have had a "robust conversation" with the authors about their overuse of the word "robust". It's really annoying.

What's left to say about this book on execution? With 130 online reviews many issues are covered already. One point's missing, though. Look at the reviews; they are divided into two camps. The reviewers either think this is a mediocre book with very basic ideas (management 101) or they see the light. The latter realize that there's no need for new acronyms or faddy words in the management-speak. "Execution" is about getting things done, being persistent and realistic, as well as managing the 3 core processes; strategy (why? and what?), operations (how?) and people (who?).

Building a performance culture is never as easy as it sounds. Looking back a few years, try to recall a few of those companies with great media attention and grand strategic visions. Many of them failed. And many of them will fail again and again, because the heroes are strategic visionaries that never bothered to deal with the issue of execution; continually and personally making sure that things were actually done. You know, when all is said and done, usually more is said than done...

If you found this book fascinating, you'll probably have some of the execution traits hidden in your personality preferences. If you want to check it out, you might visit some of free Internet sites for a test (e.g. keirsey.com). For a business, I believe it's paramount to make sure that you have a well-balanced team on all levels in the hierarchy. This also includes having enough executives with execution traits. Advice: Don't assume you have it; test it!

Conclusively, this is a great book. I liked it so much that I even also bought the audio version! The reason for the audio version is that these execution ideas simply are needed to be absorbed over several readings (or listenings). Otherwise, you won't be able to start changing your behavior (which you can change, unlike your innate preferences). While commuting, I often turn the CDs on and find it inspiring to forget about traffic jams and just getting the views of Charan and Bossidy in their own voices. However, I do agree that the book easily could have been shorter.

Peter Leerskov,
MSc in International Business (Marketing & Management) and Graduate Diploma in E-business

Larry Bossidy is clearly a five-star leader, and Ram Charan is a gifted consultant and teacher. It surprised me that their book didn't work as well as I had hoped.

Execution's title confused me. Hopefully, you won't have that problem. I thought Execution would be all about how to take a strategy and operating plan and implement them well. Instead, Part III makes it clear that Execution is about meeting overall financial objectives through being an effective organization in setting strategies and operating plans to serve customers well while building an organization that can implement the plans for outperforming competitors. Part I, by contrast, makes it sound like Execution is only about implementation, noting that almost all organizations have the same strategies (or can quickly get them from consultants), access the same top talent and can easily acquire and employ competitively effective innovation.

I also thought Execution would apply to all business people. Instead, the context for most of the AlliedSignal (Honeywell International's name when Mr. Bossidy became CEO there the first time) and General Electric examples which dominate the book is that of the CEO or group executive to whom divisions report in a large conglomerate. In this sense, Execution is like reading the latter chapters of Mr. Welch's book, Jack.

The main difference between Jack and Execution is that Execution tries to build a framework for the book's concepts while sharing examples (mostly of failure) from other organizations. Mr. Charan's sections of the book mostly focus on that positioning. Mr. Bossidy mostly tells about his own experiences at AlliedSignal and Honeywell. Mr. Bossidy, of course, worked with Mr. Welch at General Electric for many years. Mr. Bossidy reports that you could take execution for granted at GE, but that it was lacking at AlliedSignal when he arrived. The two coauthors alternate in providing long monologues on the chapter topics and subtopics.

Three aspects of Execution are valuable to almost any business leader: how to hold a strategy review (chapter 8), building an organization (chapter 5) and the "Dear Jane" letter to a new leader (conclusion).

For those who would like to become CEOs and heads of divisions of large, disparate organizations, Mr. Bossidy's many anecdotes from his experiences at Honeywell International about how to do the leader's job will provide a valuable model that can be used repeatedly. In many such organizations, there are no good leadership examples and this book can help fill the gap.

Here's the book's structure:

Part I: Why Execution Is Needed

Chapter 1. The Gap Nobody Knows

Chapter 2. The Execution Difference

Part II: The Building Blocks of Execution

Chapter 3. Building Block One: The Leader's Seven Essential Behaviors

Chapter 4. Building Block Two: Creating the Framework for Cultural Change

Chapter 5. Building Block Three: The Job No Leader Should Delegate -- Having the Right People in the Right Place

Part III: The Three Core Processes of Execution

Chapter 6. The People Process: Making the Link with Strategy and Operations

Chapter 7. The Strategy Process: Making the Link with People and Operations

Chapter 8. How to Conduct a Strategy Review

Chapter 9. The Operations Process: Making the Link with Strategy and People

Conclusion: Letter to a New Leader

Execution addresses these problems. First, many company and division heads have little knowledge about the businesses or the most important functions and processes needed to prosper. Boards, for example, often bring in a brilliant person who has performed as a "role player" elsewhere, and they cannot scale up into the CEO job. When a company has had poor leadership, its processes and organization also become weak and it's hard to get anything done. There are several poignant examples including Richard Thoman at Xerox and Richard McGinn at Lucent Technologies. It's hard to fix that problem. It took years at AlliedSignal and can be quickly lost (which happened in the two years after he retired the first time). That's why Mr. Bossidy had to come back to restore execution (as he means it) at Honeywell International. Lacking these perspectives, the business system is misdirected (see The Fifth Discipline).

Second, many leaders make bad assumptions about their circumstances. Acting on those assumptions makes matters worse.

Third, companies plan to pursue strategies for which they lack the processes and organizations to implement. The strategies need to match the ability to execute.

As a solution, you as leader must:

"--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."

I was uncomfortable with many of the examples. The unending praise of Dick Brown at EDS didn't seem to make any sense knowing that EDS's stock melted down and he was asked to leave. He was in big trouble when Execution was written, having encouraged his people to grow by taking on large unprofitable new accounts. It seems like he might have been executing the wrong strategy, one that couldn't be executed. Most of the "failure" examples are anonymous which makes them less credible and less compelling. Finally, Dell is heralded for executing very well (which it certainly does). However, in describing how the company has evolved its business model to outperform competitors, Execution fails to notice that its business model innovation has been essential to success. No competitor has this business model. Execution's assumption that everyone can have the same strategy ignores research that shows that business model innovation creates unique strategies and superior execution compared to making the old business model and strategy more efficient.

Unless you are shooting to be CEO of GE or Honeywell International, I suspect that you would do better to read Good to Great for getting ideas related to improving effectiveness.

After you finish this book, ask yourself what one thing you could improve would make the most difference in your organization's performance over the next week, month, quarter, year and three years.

This may well prove to be one of the most influential business books published in recent years. In it, Bossidy and Charan (with Charles Burck) focus on what effective execution involves. Having read or observed interviews of Bossidy, I realized while reading this book that his is the primary role in the collaboration. Mercifully, the reader is spared vague theories as well as buzzing words and overheated phrases. Anchored in a wealth of real-world business experience, the book's core insights could be of substantial value to literally anyone who currently has problems "getting things done", doing them well, and on-time.

In the first chapter, the authors identify what they call "the gap nobody knows." That is somewhat hyperbolic. Obviously Bossidy and Charan are aware of it as are, presumably, countless other decision-makers in various companies which sustain profitability while attracting and then retaining "the best and the brightest" people, often from competitor companies. In any event, the authors correctly stress the importance of eliminating the gap between recognizing what must be done and getting it done. The authors focus on three former CEOs of major corporations, each of whom they hold in high regard: Richard A. McGinn (Lucent Technologies) G. Richard Thoman (Xerox), and C. Michael Armstrong (AT&T). However, McGinn was "clearly out of touch" with day-to-day operations during his last year as CEO. For whatever reasons, Thoman lacked two essential "building blocks": the right people in key positions on his management team, and, appropriate core processes by which to implement his strategy, one which the authors view as being sound. As for Armstrong, the ambitious growth strategy he pursued was "disconnected from both external and internal realities" such as the regulatory climate at that time and the AT&T culture which was resistant to the major changes which Armstrong's strategy required. These three examples illustrate that even those with exceptional intelligence, energy, and character can fail to achieve their worthy objectives. The authors acknowledge that "Shaping the broad picture into a set of executable actions is analytical, and it's a huge intellectual, and emotional challenge." Some organizations and their leaders succeed. This book explains how. Most organizations and their leaders do not. This book explains why.

Some readers of this review may incorrectly infer from my comments thus far that this book was written primarily for and about senior-level corporate executives. For that reason, I reiterate that all of the observations, evaluations, and suggestions provided in this book are directly relevant to almost anyone in any organization (regardless of size or nature) who is expected to "get things done," whatever those "things" may be. I agree completely with Noel Tichy (author of The Leadership Engine) that every organization needs aggressive and productive initiative at all levels.

Including the word "discipline" in this book's title was intentional and is appropriate. Obviously, those who are decisive are not always successful. (What I call the "Fire! Ready! Aim! Syndrome" is far too common, especially among less-experienced but eager and ambitious executives.) The most effective decision-making process is one based on sufficient and relevant information which has been rigorously analyzed. (Thus evaluated, information becomes intelligence.) Relevant and (especially) painful realities are taken into full account. All appropriate options are identified and prioritized. When a major crisis occurs which requires an immediate response, the decision-maker(s) involved must also have courage. Discipline is essential throughout this entire process, a discipline which includes what Daniel Goleman characterizes as "emotional intelligence" or what Ernest Hemingway characterizes as "grace under duress."

As indicated previously, I think this book will be of great value to any decision-maker (regardless of title or status) in any organization (regardless of size or nature) because the authors focus relentlessly on HOW some decision-makers get results and WHY most others don't. I recommend this book to individual executives, of course, but also to those involved in management training programs which involve others. (It would be terrific for developing "fast trackers."). Also, if and when appropriate, this book in combination with Michael Hammer's The Agenda would be an excellent "homework assignment" to be completed prior to an executive retreat or (as some prefer) advance. Moreover, I think anyone in the management consulting business should also read it. If ever there was a time when clients expect those such as I to help them "get things done," is it now.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Hammer's book as well as David Maister's Practice What You Preach, Jim O'Toole's Leading Change and The Executive's Compass, and Kaplan and Norton's The Strategy-Focused Organization.

The two authors have obviously worked together before writing this book and have now collaborated on practical lessons learned that leaders should want to stay sharp on. I have met Ram Charan at numerous meetings and found that his greatest strength is challenging people to think. I do not always agree with his insights, but I do like how he makes me and the reader think about how they act as a leader.

Now I will tell you that I learned from Larry Bossidy's comments in the book. I actually sought out his comments as the book went on. Why? Well, each and every section that he contributed was no nonsense, practical advice. It appeared to me that his comments were straight from his thoughts, as if he were speaking. Spontaneous and candid. I made a list of take-away actions that I wanted to check myself on or apply in the future.

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. It sounds too simple...but the simple things that Bossidy mentions are the important aspects of the book. Listening. Writing follow-up letters outlining the expectations of the leaders previous day interactions with the boss. Talking with people to find out for yourself what is going on, how people are being managed, what management is doing right and what they are doing wrong.

I found the advice from Bossidy the real key to the book. I especially recommend this for all leaders that think execution is something that is delegated for others to do. I also recommend this for any leader, no matter what size company, to validate the basics in their personal toolkit...are you "executing" the basics?

This book is absolutely painful to read. Execution is an elementary managerial guidebook - basically Management 101.

The book is light on real, substantive content. Experienced managers (like those so often used as examples in the book) will fall asleep reading this book. The crux of the book is that good leaders should know their people, insist on realism, set clear goals, follow through, reward the doers, expand people's capabilities, know yourself, and be personally involved in hiring your managers. Duh!

There are several letters used as examples of in-depth analysis, careful evaluation, meticulous due diligence, and deep personal involvement in the operating plan development. I personally felt that the letters (like the letter used on pages 255 to 257) demonstrated that only a superficial and cursory analysis of the operating plan had been performed.

The only possible addition to the world of leadership science is the repeated recommendation (throughout the entire 265 pages) for implementing Six Sigma and digitization into organizations. Six Sigma is an excellent quality management program. I highly recommend using Six Sigma, but this is not necessarily new to the world of management.

I personally felt that the authors wrote this book not so much for the purposes of adding something truly relevant to the business world, but for self gratification and personal agrandizement. They share personal example after personal example of wins and successes leaving one to wonder, "why have I never heard about these guys? They must walk on water!" I have heard about Jack Welch, their mentor, - perhaps because he also suffers from a healthy self-promoting ego structure.

I believe success also usually masks the personal failures - something almost completely absent from the book except in the examples of others. I think sharing a few of their personal failures would have given the book a level of authenticity. Moreover, the personal trials and failures would be meaningful for learning purposes.

The writing style used in Execution alternates between third person, first person (Larry), first person (Ram), and even an interviewing style. I went crazy with the style issues. Most of the time I was just trying to remember or figure out who was writing/talking/speaking. I am surprised that this book made it through editing.

Execution is filled with redundancy and repetitive comments driving the reader crazy. I read the entire 265 pages thinking maybe the gem or nugget of information is saved for later in the book. Unfortunately, all that is contained in the latter pages is repetitive content and more personal agrandizement.

I would never compare this book to Good to Great - as many reviewers have done. Good to Great is quite honestly good - it relies on data, facts, and research. In fact, General Electric (their oft cited example of a role model company) missed being included in the Good to Great companies list. GE stock outperformed the market by about 2.8 times during the period between 1985 and 2000 while the average Good to Great company outperformed the market by 6.9 times (more than double the performance of GE). General Electric was good, but not great.

This book is half baked, poorly written, and content light. There are a number of half finished stories and examples to demonstrate various points throughout the book. For example, Larry Bossidy shares an example of advice given to his son in preparation for his first planning session as a Vice President at GE Capital on page 208 (making me wonder about nepotism policies at GE). The story shares the fatherly advice, but never conveys the resolution of the story or how things turned out. This happens repeatedly throughout the book. It leaves the reader wondering "what happened?"

I can only give this book 1 star. I sincerely hope someone else will write on this subject. Execution is invaluable in today's business climate.

I bought this book because I thought I could learn something new from a couple of high level people. Unfortunately, it failed to deliver on that premise for me, though reading this book was not a waste of time.

My wife and I own a relatively small service business. Many of the techniques and suggestions in this book are best for a large organization with lots of resources. For instance, the book talks about conducting strategy and reveiw sessions several times a year. If we took our top 10 people out for a couple of days each quarter, we'd close because we only have 10 employees, including us! In fact, much of the analysis suggested can be done even more regularly for a small business since your focus is on your business only and not several units.

However, the chapters on the people process were helpful. Having the right person in the right job is important in any organization, no matter how small. I intend to use several ideas from this section, scaled down for a small business like ours.

I found some of the writing occasionally pompous and filled with cliches. Phrases like "robust dialogue" and "social software" sound like high-priced consultant double-speak. Also, I got the feeling that Mr. Bossidy always knows he's the smartest guy in the room.

The bottom line, however, is that if you are a rising executive at some big manufacturing corporation that is implementing Six Sigma processes, you will probably find this book helpful. If you own a small service business like we do, you could probably spend your reading time in better ways.

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.

Bossidy and Charan's book has a simplicity in its advice that is a breath of fresh air after much of the new economy hype that has filled the bookshelves in the past few years. The book argues that the primary reason for much of the poor corporate performance we've seen in the past few years (outside of outright dishonest companies like Enron, WorldCom, and their ilk) has not been muddled strategy, lack of innovation, or an ever more rapidly changing marketplace but poor execution. Conversely, they argue that great execution has been one of the cornerstones for the great corporate success, such as General Electric. (Jack Welch looms large in the background here.) And good execution is a lot more commonsensical than you might think: it is merely insuring that corporate strategy is well-conceived and solidly grounded in the company's human and operational capacities.

This is a difficult subject for a book, because there is no cookie-cutter methodology the authors could provide that could help you drill deeply into your own company's strategy, staffing, and operational plans and really root out the strengths and the weaknesses of them. Good execution, they argue, has its roots in asking good probing questions, questions that will be different in each situation. The authors include a number of general questions in each area to help begin this probing, but that's about as far as a book can take it. The bulk of the book, though is anecdotes illustrating how this has worked either well or poorly at other companies. If you're looking for clear-cut instructions, this is likely to be disappointing.

What is most interesting about this book is how well it dovetails with Jim Collins' recent bestseller "Good to Great." Collins' book describes the general patterns to successful corporate change (or execution). Bossidy and Charan's book describes some of the nuts and bolts needed to follow that pattern, from styles of leadership, getting the right people in the right jobs, doing honest assessments of a company's capacity, and then working toward goals with great focus. If you enjoyed Collins' book, this book can help you figure out better how to make great execution happen in your own company.

I did not find anything new or original in this book. The authors start off talking about "The Gap Nobody Knows" (by Gap they mean Execution) and go on to say that "countless companies are less than they could be because of poor execution, and the gap between promises and results is widespread and clear ... as if no one has ever heard about the words strategy and implementation and execution before. I don't know of a single manager worth his/her salt who hasn't heard and doesn't know about the importance of execution. The authors try to grab attention by coining and explaining terms like asset velocity which is just another name for asset turnover ... a metric that has been in existence almost as long as accounting itself. They spend an inordinate amount of time explaining how and why Dell Computer Corporation has a low cost structure and efficient operations - as if we hadn't already heard this from numerous sources over all the decades that Dell has been in business. They pontificate that "unless you translate big thoughts into concrete steps for action, they're pointless," and use negativisms like "if you don't know how to execute, the whole of your effort as a leader will always be less than the sum of its parts." All these are age old ideas already beaten to death in business literature. I couldn't find anything new or original. This book might be worth spending your time on if you have never read another management book and don't know how to search for a really good one either.