Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In Know-How, Ram Charan, coauthor of the bestseller Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, gives readers a bold new approach to understanding leadership. Charan suggests that when it comes to choosing our business leaders, we don't recognize the crucial difference between the appearance of leadership and the actual ability to run a business. We focus too much on superficial things, like raw intelligence or a commanding presence, and don't pay near enough attention to the skills leaders need. In his new book, Charan identifies the eight skills leaders must develop and refine, and explains how personal traits factor in. Curious readers can learn more about Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't in our brief Q & A with author Ram Charan, and sneak a peek at the first chapter, below. --Daphne Durham

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Q&A with Ram Charan

Q: You identify 8 know-hows. Can you take us through one of them?
A: In this time of continual change, money making or business models are becoming obsolete more frequently than ever before. It wasn't that long ago when AOL was king of the hill. That leadership was taken over by Yahoo. Now Yahoo is at a crossroads and the leadership has been taken over by Google. So far Google is ahead. It has the central recipe to increase its revenues via advertising because it knows how to measure advertising effectiveness better than anybody else. Leaders at both AOL and Yahoo must be scratching their heads trying to figure out how to reposition the company to make money in the new context. Repositioning is a know-how. It's hard work, and it requires imagination. We will have an opportunity to see about the decision made by Time Warner top brass to summarily replace Jim Miller with Randy Falco of NBC Universal. Randy has a distinguished record. He will have to demonstrate one of the most crucial know-hows in this book: Can he reposition AOL for the new game, and in time? Cost cutting is not the answer.

Q: How can you build your know-how, or help others develop theirs?
A: No talented athlete ever became a champion without consistent regular practice in the right way, along with feedback and hard work. There are no short cuts.That's why you should start practicing early in your career by taking assignments that will help you cultivate the know-hows and seeking out bosses you can learn from.

Q: Many people think of leaders as having innate traits that set them apart from the rest of us. Are you saying we should be looking at skills instead of personality?
A: At the time somebody enters the work force, a great deal of his or her personality has been formed. Most people who talk about leadership today talk about personality, personality, personality. Personality traits, presence, charisma--they will experience attrition if you don't practice them in the context of know-hows. Personality traits and know-hows reinforce each other. In the 21st century, the transparency of results is immediate. Failure is detected very early. Dependence on personality traits without the mastery of the know-hows is a recipe for disaster.

Q: What do you think about the future?
A: The future is very bright. The global economy will continue to expand. There will be more demand for leaders than ever before. Master the know-hows. Hone your personality traits while you're mastering the know-hows. Don't forget that your success must come in the context of global competition. Take the opportunity to win.

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Read the First Chapter of Know-How

The Substance of Successful Leaders

Know-how is what separates leaders who perform--who deliver results--from those who don't. It is the hallmark of people who know what they are doing, those who build longterm intrinsic value and hit short-term targets. What gets in the way of finding people who can perform is the appearance of leadership. All too often I see people being chosen for leadership jobs on the basis of superficial personal traits and characteristics, such as:

• The seduction of raw intelligence: "He's extremely bright, incisive, and very analytical. I just feel in my gut he can do the job."

• A commanding presence and great communication skills: "That presentation was awesome. How she ever boiled down all that data onto the PowerPoints is beyond me. Shecertainly had the committee in the palm of her hand. Mark my words, she's going to the top."

• The power of a bold vision: "What a picture he painted of where we are going, moving forward."

• The notion of a born leader: "The people in the unit love her. Such a morale builder and motivator!"

Certainly intelligence, self-confidence, presence, the ability to communicate, and having a vision are important. But being highly intelligent doesn't mean that a person has the knack for making good business judgments. How many times have you seen people confidently making decisions that turn out to be disastrous? How often have you heard a vision that turned out to be nothing more than rhetoric and hot air? Read more from Chapter 1...

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Review

"This is the leadership book for the new generatin. It's not about climbing to the top of the heap. It's about substance- becoming the kind of leader who makes the right decisions time and time again. If you want to make your business, yourself, and your world better, use this book as your guide."
–Ron Meyer, president and COO, Universal Studios

"If you believe (as I do) that 'leaders are made,' or more precisely, choose to lead and to develop their skills as leaders, then you will find Ram Charan's very practical book on the eight 'know-hows' that are the foundation for leadership performance and success a very worthwhile read."
–A.G. Lafley, chairman and CEO, Proctor & Gamble

"Ram Charan has hit the nail on-the-head by constructively linking personal attributes and business success. His is an important message at an important time for business leaders."
–James McNerney, Jr., chairman, president and CEO, The Boeing Company

"Ram Charan cuts through the fog and 'mystique of the leader' with bold, fresh insights into the real substance of business leadership. What is truly pathbreaking is Know-How's integration of the eight skills for running a business with the personal and psychological traits of the successful leader. It is the must-have book if you want to differentiate yourself from the pack."
–Bill Conaty, senior vice president, human resources, General Electric

"Uniquely Charan. Pactical, insightful, application-oriented and full of wisdom. Read it and then refer to i frequently to enrigh your career. A real treasure."
–Larry Bossidy, retired chairman and CEO of Honeywell International and co-author of Execution and Confronting Reality

"Know-How is the distilled wisdom of one of our era's most insightful business minds. How do you achieve great business performance? Ram Charan kno... --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Crown Business; 1 edition (January 2, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0307341518 ISBN-13: 978-0307341518 Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,976 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

38 Reviews 5 star:  (20) 4 star:  (7) 3 star:  (5) 2 star:  (3) 1 star:  (3)           Average Customer Review 4.0 out of 5 stars (38 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 121 of 126 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The Substance of Leadership, January 2, 2007 By  Craig L. Howe "The Pointed Pundit" (Darien, CT United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)       In an era of constant change, there is a crying need for leadership. Although change is a constant, today's magnitude, speed and depth, is unlike previous renditions. Multibillion dollar businesses emerge from nowhere. Highly-valued institutions and organizations are rendered impotent over-night. Yet, many cling to choosing future leaders on the basis of superficial personal traits and characteristics. How many times have you heard an anointed future leader described as "intelligent," "a commanding presence," "a great communicator," "having a bold vision," or "a born leader?" Ram Charan, a consultant with a Harvard Business School MBA and doctorate, has identified, eight skills - he calls them "know-hows" - essential for leadership success: 1. Positioning and Repositioning. The ability to find an idea for the organization that meets customers' demands and makes money. 2. Pinpointing External Change. The ability to identify patterns that place the organization on the offensive. 3. Leading the Social System. The ability to get the right people with the right behaviors and the right information to make better decisions and business results. 4. Judging People. The ability to calibrate people based on their actions, decisions and behaviors and matches them to the job's non-negotiables. 5. Molding a Team. The ability to coordinate competent, high-ego leaders. 6. Setting Goals. The ability to balance goals that give equal weighting to what the business can become and what it can achieve. 7. Setting Priorities. The ability to define a path and direct resources, actions, and energy to accomplish goals. 8. Dealing with Forces beyond the Market. The ability to deal with pressures you cannot control but affect your business. Citing case studies from his consulting practice, Charan identifies personal traits of leaders that help or interfere with the know-hows. 1. Ambition. The drive to accomplish something but not win at all costs. 2. Tenacity. The drive to search, persist and follow through, but not too long. 3. Self-confidence. The drive to overcome the fear of failure and response, or the need to be liked and use power judiciously but not become arrogant and narcissistic. 4. Psychological Openness. The ability to be receptive to new and different ideas but not shut other people down. 5. Realism. The ability to see what can be accomplished and not gloss over problems or assume the worst. 6. Appetite for Learning. The ability to grown and improve know-hows and not repeat the same mistakes. Charan reduces the concept of business leadership to essential qualities. Know-How is readable and insightful. By linking personal attributes and business success, he delivers a vital message to a society starving for true leadership. 74 of 76 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Know-How - The Critical Linkage to Success, January 3, 2007 By  Thomas M. Loarie (Danville, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)       Why does a gifted person tagged for a leadership role fail when he/she gets there? And how does a leader with little or no education succeed? Best selling author and acclaimed management philosopher, Ram Charan, provides an answer to this paradox in his latest offering, "Know How" by focusing on the critical linkage - know-how - that separates leaders who perform from those who do not. In the book, Charan details eight critical know-hows observed in the most successful leaders, discusses real life examples of success and failure, and provides a checklist, "Questions to Ask Yourself" for the reader. Charan, relying on his 45 years of observational research, constructs a more complete theory integrating know-how with personality traits, psychological orientation and cognitive architecture. He shows how these know-hows and individual personal traits are interlinked and reinforce each other. Every leader Charan has known has mastered the nuts and bolts of one or more know-hows early in life and has used these skills over and over again to learn all of the critical know-hows. ...And this is how real leaders are really made. The eight critical Know-Hows include: 1. Will the Dogs Eat the Dog Food? Positioning and Repositioning the Business to Make Money. Shaping and reshaping the value proposition to meet the needs of an ever changing external landscape. The quality of the leader depends on the ability to sort out so many elements of the complexity of the business and connecting them with the money making formula. 2. Before the Point Tips: Connecting the Dots by Pinpointing and Taking Action on Patterns of External Change. The need to look at the big picture and then work through the messy details. We are in uncharted waters. Relatively linear, continuous, and predictable are not the norm. Do you have the broad lens? Section on how to detect points before they tip. 3. Herding Cats: Getting People to Work Together by Managing the Social System of Your Business. Getting people to align their efforts is a lot like herding cats. Understanding the social system of a business is the best way to get a handle on the otherwise mysterious subject of managing and changing how people work together to meet ever-changing business requirements. Have to establish and enforce what behaviors are acceptable and which are not. 4. Leaders Are Made, Not Born: Judging, Selecting, and Developing Leaders. Discovering and developing a person's natural talent. 5. Unity Without Uniformity: Molding a Team of Leaders. Making a team more than the sum of its parts. 6. The Buck Starts With You: Determining and Setting the Right Goals. 7. It's Monday Morning, Now What"Setting Laser-Sharp Dominant Priorities. 8. Driving on Brokeback Mountain: Dealing with Forces Outside Your Control. Knowing how to anticipate and prepare for issues outside constituencies raise and judging the risks they pose to the business model. Charan closes "Know-How" with a letter to a future leader, Michael, in which he advises that "given the transparency of today's world, any shortcoming in his know-hows, personality traits, or character will be revealed very quickly." He encourages Michael to be self-reflective; speed his progress through learning by experience, through others; be open to new ideas, people, situations, and problems; embrace fear and disappointment: and to focus on the know-hows of business. While written for business, "Know How" will serve as an excellent guide for all who aspire to be successful leaders whether in the private, public, or non-profit sectors. It joins Dotlich's "Head, Heart, and Guts" (Wiley, 2006) as a perfect bookend to all that has been written on what makes a successful leader. These two books are unique, covering critical leadership attributes previously un-addressed. 39 of 45 people found the following review helpful: 2.0 out of 5 stars Good 1st leadership book, otherwise pretty worthless, June 29, 2007 By  James Dennewill (Cerritos, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    I'm thoroughly disappointed with this book. It's like the elementary school guide for recognizing someone who does things well. It might as well say, if your company makes a lot of profits, it's a good business. There is not a single revolutionary concept or idea in the book's 262 oddly sized pages. Go figure, aligning your business with the market, putting together a good team, setting goals, and anticipating and responding to forces beyond the market are strong traits in a leader. I wish I could include a more in-depth analysis, but there's nothing significant here to analyze. He doesn't go out on any limbs that can be criticized. That said, I think this book might be of some value as someone's 1st book on leadership because it does a good job of presenting the foundations of a leader (that many other authors have already written volumes about) in a condensed form.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars How to be or judge a great CEO The book starts out by discussing a frustrating topic "the appearance of leadership." Unfortunately certain traits can lead people to assume someone would make a good (effective)... Read more Published 12 months ago by Eric Kassan 4.0 out of 5 stars One tip makes this book worth reading Don't dismiss this entry in Charan's business guru tips because most of it is basic, commonsense. My rule for business reading is that if you get one good guideline that's... Read more Published 14 months ago by E. Bruce Harrison 4.0 out of 5 stars Bo Knows Football - Ram Knows Know-How! Management uber-guru Ram Charan offers a business counterpart to Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" in his book, "Know How. Read more Published 18 months ago by Kevin Quinley 3.0 out of 5 stars Good Solid Common Sense Nicely Arranged This book by Ram Charan has all the hallmarks of a smart business book -- a truly rare thing. I would reccomend it simply because it puts a lot of common sense ideas in print for... Read more Published 19 months ago by R. J Szasz 5.0 out of 5 stars As usual solid advice from Ram Charan Ram Charan has once again showed that doing business is a lot about hard work and less about lofty speeches and buzz words. Read more Published 20 months ago by Ajay Dawar 2.0 out of 5 stars Unoriginal and Uninteresting. Many reviewers have stated my thoughts on this book. I read it last spring and tried very hard to glean ideas from it. Read more Published 21 months ago by W. S. Jones 3.0 out of 5 stars 101 course Author Ram Charan has developed a holistic approach to what executives and managers must do and be to become successful leaders. Read more Published 21 months ago by Sahra Badou 1.0 out of 5 stars Save your Time and Money The only exciting thing about this book is its title. Neverthless, it does not tell you "how" in any practical way. Read more Published 22 months ago by David King 1.0 out of 5 stars Very poor content After waiting anxiously 3 days for this book,I set myself apart from my family, and it wasn't worthy of reading 15 minutes. Nothing new, nothing to use on Monday. Read more Published 22 months ago by F. Cuevas 5.0 out of 5 stars Keys to Excellence, Map for Leadership Success There are many intriguing aspects to this book, beginning with its author, Ram Charan, his background, and his experiences which led to its eventual publication. Read more Published 23 months ago by Tremayne Narte Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business; 1 edition (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307341518
• ISBN-13: 978-0307341518
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,976 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

121 of 126 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Substance of Leadership, January 2, 2007

By	Craig L. Howe "The Pointed Pundit" (Darien, CT United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In an era of constant change, there is a crying need for leadership. Although change is a constant, today's magnitude, speed and depth, is unlike previous renditions. Multibillion dollar businesses emerge from nowhere. Highly-valued institutions and organizations are rendered impotent over-night.

Yet, many cling to choosing future leaders on the basis of superficial personal traits and characteristics. How many times have you heard an anointed future leader described as "intelligent," "a commanding presence," "a great communicator," "having a bold vision," or "a born leader?"

Ram Charan, a consultant with a Harvard Business School MBA and doctorate, has identified, eight skills - he calls them "know-hows" - essential for leadership success:

1. Positioning and Repositioning. The ability to find an idea for the organization that meets customers' demands and makes money.
2. Pinpointing External Change. The ability to identify patterns that place the organization on the offensive.
3. Leading the Social System. The ability to get the right people with the right behaviors and the right information to make better decisions and business results.
4. Judging People. The ability to calibrate people based on their actions, decisions and behaviors and matches them to the job's non-negotiables.
5. Molding a Team. The ability to coordinate competent, high-ego leaders.
6. Setting Goals. The ability to balance goals that give equal weighting to what the business can become and what it can achieve.
7. Setting Priorities. The ability to define a path and direct resources, actions, and energy to accomplish goals.
8. Dealing with Forces beyond the Market. The ability to deal with pressures you cannot control but affect your business.

Citing case studies from his consulting practice, Charan identifies personal traits of leaders that help or interfere with the know-hows.

1. Ambition. The drive to accomplish something but not win at all costs.
2. Tenacity. The drive to search, persist and follow through, but not too long.
3. Self-confidence. The drive to overcome the fear of failure and response, or the need to be liked and use power judiciously but not become arrogant and narcissistic.
4. Psychological Openness. The ability to be receptive to new and different ideas but not shut other people down.
5. Realism. The ability to see what can be accomplished and not gloss over problems or assume the worst.
6. Appetite for Learning. The ability to grown and improve know-hows and not repeat the same mistakes.

Charan reduces the concept of business leadership to essential qualities. Know-How is readable and insightful. By linking personal attributes and business success, he delivers a vital message to a society starving for true leadership.

74 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Know-How - The Critical Linkage to Success, January 3, 2007

By	Thomas M. Loarie (Danville, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Why does a gifted person tagged for a leadership role fail when he/she gets there? And how does a leader with little or no education succeed? Best selling author and acclaimed management philosopher, Ram Charan, provides an answer to this paradox in his latest offering, "Know How" by focusing on the critical linkage - know-how - that separates leaders who perform from those who do not.

In the book, Charan details eight critical know-hows observed in the most successful leaders, discusses real life examples of success and failure, and provides a checklist, "Questions to Ask Yourself" for the reader. Charan, relying on his 45 years of observational research, constructs a more complete theory integrating know-how with personality traits, psychological orientation and cognitive architecture. He shows how these know-hows and individual personal traits are interlinked and reinforce each other.

Every leader Charan has known has mastered the nuts and bolts of one or more know-hows early in life and has used these skills over and over again to learn all of the critical know-hows. ...And this is how real leaders are really made.

The eight critical Know-Hows include:

1. Will the Dogs Eat the Dog Food? Positioning and Repositioning the Business to Make Money. Shaping and reshaping the value proposition to meet the needs of an ever changing external landscape. The quality of the leader depends on the ability to sort out so many elements of the complexity of the business and connecting them with the money making formula.

2. Before the Point Tips: Connecting the Dots by Pinpointing and Taking Action on Patterns of External Change. The need to look at the big picture and then work through the messy details. We are in uncharted waters. Relatively linear, continuous, and predictable are not the norm. Do you have the broad lens? Section on how to detect points before they tip.

3. Herding Cats: Getting People to Work Together by Managing the Social System of Your Business. Getting people to align their efforts is a lot like herding cats. Understanding the social system of a business is the best way to get a handle on the otherwise mysterious subject of managing and changing how people work together to meet ever-changing business requirements. Have to establish and enforce what behaviors are acceptable and which are not.

4. Leaders Are Made, Not Born: Judging, Selecting, and Developing Leaders. Discovering and developing a person's natural talent.

5. Unity Without Uniformity: Molding a Team of Leaders. Making a team more than the sum of its parts.

6. The Buck Starts With You: Determining and Setting the Right Goals.

7. It's Monday Morning, Now What"Setting Laser-Sharp Dominant Priorities.

8. Driving on Brokeback Mountain: Dealing with Forces Outside Your Control. Knowing how to anticipate and prepare for issues outside constituencies raise and judging the risks they pose to the business model.

Charan closes "Know-How" with a letter to a future leader, Michael, in which he advises that "given the transparency of today's world, any shortcoming in his know-hows, personality traits, or character will be revealed very quickly." He encourages Michael to be self-reflective; speed his progress through learning by experience, through others; be open to new ideas, people, situations, and problems; embrace fear and disappointment: and to focus on the know-hows of business.

While written for business, "Know How" will serve as an excellent guide for all who aspire to be successful leaders whether in the private, public, or non-profit sectors. It joins Dotlich's "Head, Heart, and Guts" (Wiley, 2006) as a perfect bookend to all that has been written on what makes a successful leader. These two books are unique, covering critical leadership attributes previously un-addressed.

39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good 1st leadership book, otherwise pretty worthless, June 29, 2007

By	James Dennewill (Cerritos, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm thoroughly disappointed with this book. It's like the elementary school guide for recognizing someone who does things well. It might as well say, if your company makes a lot of profits, it's a good business. There is not a single revolutionary concept or idea in the book's 262 oddly sized pages. Go figure, aligning your business with the market, putting together a good team, setting goals, and anticipating and responding to forces beyond the market are strong traits in a leader. I wish I could include a more in-depth analysis, but there's nothing significant here to analyze. He doesn't go out on any limbs that can be criticized.

That said, I think this book might be of some value as someone's 1st book on leadership because it does a good job of presenting the foundations of a leader (that many other authors have already written volumes about) in a condensed form.