Execution

The Discipline of Getting Things Done

By: Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

The audio that shows how to get the job done and deliver results...whether you're running an entire company or in your first management job.

Larry Bossidy is one of the world's most acclaimed CEOs, with a track record for delivering results. Ram Charan is a legendary adviser to senior executives and boards of directors, a man with unparalleled insight into why some companies are successful and others are not. Together they've pooled their knowledge and experience into one guide on how to close the gap between results promised and results delivered.

The discipline of execution means understanding how to link together people, strategy, and operations, the three core processes of every business. Leading these processes is the real job of running a business, not formulating a "vision" and leaving the work of carrying it out to others. Bossidy and Charan show the importance of being deeply and passionately engaged in an organization and why robust dialogues about people, strategy, and operations result in a business based on intellectual honesty and realism.

The leader's most important job - selecting and appraising people - is one that should never be delegated. As a CEO, Larry Bossidy personally makes the calls to check references for key hires. Why? With the right people in the right jobs, there's a leadership gene pool that conceives and selects strategies that can be executed. People then work together to create a strategy building block by building block, a strategy in sync with the realities of the marketplace, the economy, and the competition. Once the right people and strategy are in place, they are then linked to an operating process that results in the implementation of specific programs and actions and that assigns accountability. This kind of effective operating process goes way beyond the typical budget exercise that looks into a rearview mirror to set its goals. It puts reality behind the numbers and is where the rubber meets the road.

©2002 Crown Business
(P)2002 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A terrific book that will make smart managers rethink how business gets done within every level of their organization or department." (Publishers Weekly)
"A great practitioner and an insightful theorist join forces to write a compelling business story of 'how to get it done.'" (Jack Welch)

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For any business this is a good review for some and a beginning for others. I have seen some of this book in action and the system works. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for an overview on trying to get accountability and an understanding of how people should work.

Good But A Difficult production

This book was a fascinating look at one pair's ideas about getting business done. Their ideas, plans and strategies seemed logical and fair with tremendous toughness. What I liked was that there was focus on the need to make employees successful in order to gain success in a business. Some managers I have met did not understand that.

In Execution strategy, fast trackers were identified and groomed for success. The scary part was the inference of a sort of Darwinism--fail and you're vanquished. The bottom line is everything in this tough economy and world. Culling out those who can make 'success' is the goal of top management.

I liked the idea of a top boss that actually tracks the day-to-day operations of his empire. It was refreshing after the Ken Lay style of 'noblesse oblivious.' As a worker bee, I was attracted to the idea of management that took responsibility for the situations and results that their decisions had created. I also liked the idea of management that operated in 'reality.' They were not afraid, in fact encouraged hearing the truth from their subordinates. Management can not manage successfully on the basis of misinformation.

Clear, refreshing, straightforward--though I am not sure I would listen to it again. Technically, there were some problems with the production. In the audio version of the book the reading was performed by three voices. The professional voice and Bossidy were terrific. Charan was a real problem to understand. His heavy accent, mispronunciation of words or placing the accent on the wrong syllable was impossibly difficult at times. I would turn up the volume all the way and still could not decipher some of what he said. This was the first audio book I had encountered that had production problems that made understanding difficult.

Exceptional

Exceptional business leadership book detailing the specifics of people process , strategy and operating plans

Too Many Voices

This was a great book and I learned a lot. My biggest critique is there were four different narrator voices. At times, a single paragraph had three of the four voices. It because distracting and I had to rewind a few times as some voices are much quieter and other much louder.

excellent read

Good integration of operational excellence, people excellence and strategy excellence! highly recommended read for all pursuing a career in implementation.

Guide for managers

Plenty of good advise, sometimes sounds obvious but it isn't necessary easy to execute.

a really great book beyond theory!

This is a great book if you are tired of ideas, this book covers how to actually execute how to take those tools and make ideas into realities.

Good book on the fundamentals.

Lots of dated examples here... fundamental ideas still hold true.

Dr. Charan undoubtedly wrote a good portion of the book, and the sections he read are valuable, but his accent makes it difficult to understand his content at times, and distracts from his message... it's an audiobook, hire a voice actor.

Solid Principles for any size Company

The key to this title is to focus on the principles being presented and visualize how they apply to your type and size of organization. Yes, the narration ranges from abysmal to entertaining at times but if you think about your business and listen for parallels, you?ll see the value.

Basically, there are 3 main pillars to execution; the Strategic, People, and Operational plans. These are components of every business regardless of market, size, etc. What the authors are stressing is that all 3 plans must be based on reality and be closely linked/aligned with the other two. Example: how does our People plan (recruiting, training, advancement, etc) support our Strategic and Operational plans? It doesn?t matter how well developed any/all of these plans are if they don?t accurately reflect reality AND support the other two. Leaders have to be deeply involved in all 3 areas to make this happen. They also stress that an ?Execution? based culture is driven from the top down through consistency, accountability, and a direct link with compensation and rewards. There are lots of other good points and examples but you?ll have to do your own interpretation of what an execution culture would look like for your organization. Overall, it?s a pretty long listen but has a kind of a ?storyteller? teller feel that?ll make the time pass easily. Of course, you may have to listen carefully and rewind a few times along the way ;)

Great Read...

If you are a manager with people responsibility...this is a MUST read for all.