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Summary: Optimal Thinking + Execution = Optimal Execution
Review: I am the V.P. of Corporate Education for a Fortune 50 company. I read this book six months ago and found it to be useful, particularly the research and case studies. Execution reinforces realism and action in the workplace which are necessary in competitive situations. We are also integrating Optimal Thinking into our corporation -- the ingredient for personal and professional optimization. So I recommend this book and Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self to optimize the thinking and execution of every member of your organization -- and to optimize results.
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Summary: Felt like an Execution to Read
Review: This book was on the top of my list when it was released. I was under the pretense that "Execution" would provide examples and vivid reasoing behind getting things done in the business world. Instead I received a lot of "Jack Welch Loving". The author, having worked under Welch found it very important to mention Welch and GE as much as possible. Not only that, the author gave off a negative vibe, that very few who try will accomplish what they set their goals to do. I can appreciate honesty if an employer tells you, that you are not cut out for something, but this book basically told you, "Don't get your hopes of executive mgt. up, because you most likely will not make it."I struggled to read this book, reading a chapter about once a week, and really dredding it the last 50 pages. While there are nuggets.... We all know he is one of the foremost executives of our time. But the title of the book is not Execution and the love for Jack Welch, but, Execution, the discipline of getting things done. I wish the book would have done that.
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Summary: Terrible!
Review: This is an incredibly bad book. Frankly, it's amazing that it ever got published in the first place. One only has to read the gushing superlatives with which the authors write about many of the worlds worst CEO's to realize that they know very little about the real world. The book has very little pragmatic advice about how to 'execute'. When tips and tricks are discussed, they are often precisely what NOT to do when attempting to run a successful business.
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Summary: Great Book
Review: Bossidy is the real thing. The book is a no nonsense look at management from one of the few that doesnt hype himself and can deliver.
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Summary: Execution is everything!!! Why didn't we know that?
Review: Wonderfull and fresh book that focuses on execution, this book brings a new a fresh spirit that good executional capabilities is a must for any companies who want to be great winners. Good writing and deep thinking. I read this together with Escape Velocity, a book by a former Mckinsey strategy consulant Idris Mootee, and I begin to think from how stratety is formulated to how it gets executed. Both books are excellent read.
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Summary: A much needed book
Review: This book is one that fills a void on a discipline overlooked in a sales and marketing culture. Many of the examples are applicable but the delivery is dry. Push through the enjoyability factor and take scrupulous notes.
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Summary: Obvious explained
Review: Though, this book seems to be first of its kind on the subject, I was disappointed not to find any wisdom. It seems incerdible that there are CEOs who, 1. Set goals but do not review plans and track progress
2. Recruit people without in depth ckeck about their fitment
3. Do not link People and Strategy to Operations !!!! Peter Drucker's two quotes sum up this book :- 1. Mission predicates startegy which decides structure 2. A team should be designed to meet the job on hand. Venkat
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Summary: Excellent book - on leadership
Review: I found the book an excellent approach to taking personal responsibility to deliver results of value to all concerned. Example by example is given of author's own approach to leadership situations in setting goals, coaching, ensuring that those who contribute are rewarded, and following through. I expect to refer to the book many times in the future. I think it would improve all organizations, maybe especially in government service, to read the book and take it to heart in running their organizations.
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Summary: Good Reading for Corporate Executives
Review: 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.
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Summary: Essential Reading
Review: Normally, if you accuse someone of having an "astonishing grasp of the obvious" it's an insult. But in the case of the two authors of this book, it's meant to be the highest praise possible. Perhaps because sometimes what seems "obvious" is the hardest thing for people to grasp.
Which is exactly what Mssrs. Bossidy and Charan demonstrate in this phenomenal book. First, by making the obvious point that how a business "executes" or "gets things done" as they put it, is critical to its success. And then, why so many businesses find this so difficult to do with any regularity. While admitting that "execution" may not sound as sexy as "strategy", "globalization" or "mergers & acquisitions", the authors make an airtight case for the fact that absent execution no company is going to get far. And that execution is, in fact, a discipline unto itself with its own specific set of behaviors and techniques.
And starting with the 7 essential behaviors of a business leader, it becomes quite obvious why execution is so difficult: It's hard, and it takes a lot of character and self-confidence to pull it off. It requires a relentless and almost ruthless questioning of every business initiative-getting at the genuine nitty, gritty details of the what's and how's. It demands tenacious follow-through, rigorous accountability. And at all times, a willingness to acknowledge that everyone, from the vaunted CEO on down, may be dead wrong. Not surprisingly, these behaviors have to be built into the fabric of a company's culture and protected from any assault.
Bossidy and Charan know what they're talking about. The map they provide is clear enough. And the perils of straying from it painfully illustrated. What they can't provide is the sheer integrity necessary to face truth, which is job #1 when it comes to executing. (Something the latest spate of scandals would seem to indicate is not available in abundance at many corporations these days.) A very important, and great book.
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