Rating: 
Summary: For a book in Execution, They never get around to Executing
Review: I bought the book, eager to learn how to execute. It starts out with the premise tht the best laid plans will never succeed without someone actually making sure it's done. In they're opinion, the CEO must be the one to do it. An interesting premise and one worth exploring. Unfortunately, this book never delivered. Instead, it is packed with stories and reminiscences about how great some people are and why isn't everyone that way. It uses specific genralities to stay that it's important to be honest and realistic in the business world.
Duh! There's nothing new in it, and especially nothing for those mid-level people who want to succeed.
Other books are much better.
Rating:
Summary: Dunno, I Couldn't Finish It
Review: Sadly, my title says it all.
Rating:
Summary: Real Business Practices -- No
Review: I met both Bodissy and Charan on separate business occassions, and I was entirely impressed by both. But, I had mixed feelings about this book because it was a bit too high-level for a practical discussion of business issues.Bodissy sat in "corporate level" with a 40,000ft view of a conglomerate and Ram is management consultant for people of this level. In contrast, good "Execution" can not be entirely understood or expressed by people at that level because they are merely reflecting on what they have seen as a response to their own management style and initiatives. True "Execution" can only be told by his direct reports, who can compare the differences. In a way, I think Andy Grove talked about "Execution" a lot better in his last book. Excluding the long introduction chapters and re-summarizing ending ones, the book attempted to put forth a "model" for good Execution based on some common fundamentals: focus, followups, HR quality, etc. However, these were not specific with people or processes, rather they were stories told by Larry and reflected by Ram. And, on many occassions, it seemed they sarcastically criticized other "guru" management books as a waste of time. For instance, "strategy can be bought on any corner store" -- but shouldn't the reader come to his own conclusion that this book is somehow more insightful?
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I listened to the unabridged version from Audible and got through half of it. Good subject, but disappointing. From a presentation perspective, apparently all the authors narrated it and the different accents did not help to communicate the message. Beyond the cosmetics, I felt the authors focused solely on an executive audience. As a member of corporate middle management, I found there was little "meat" I could take away for self-improvement. I have found better treatment of this subject from material from Peters and Blanchard some ten-plus years ago.
Rating: 
Summary: Long on Looks, Short on Solid Information
Review: I'm a frequent reader of Management books, and bought this book on a whim because of the promise of its title. Big mistake. While these gentlemen may have had success in their respective professions, and may be well respected by many, I found their examples to be less than stellar. This book is littered with vague, boring, and over-simplified, almost-cliche examples of how to make a good business work - Hold people accountable. Compare them against budgets. Challenge them with questions. By the time I finished this book (which was much longer than typical because of the above), I found myself feeling that the authors had written this because they wanted an avenue to brag about their accomplishments. Perhaps the book would be better if they had spent more time identifying what worked and what didn't, instead of acting as if everything they touched turned to gold...the real world is not that way, and I can't imagine that Bossidy's career has been that way, either. As a comparison, I would recommend that any reader pick up Good to Great (by Jim Collins) rather than this book - this book pales in insight, and as a source of fresh, applicable ideas. I learned much more from reading 'The 7 Habits' than I did from this book.
Rating:
Summary: Hyped...expected a LOT more from this book
Review: As an avid reader of management and strategy books and articles, from this book I expected to gain many insights into effective implementation of business critical projects. Unfortunately what I read in Bossidy's book comes across as common sense and/or tried and tested management strategies. I honestly cannot say I came across anything new or overly interesting in this book. Jack Welch's text tells many interesting 'stories' along the way to describing how things get done at GE...if you are tossing a coin I'd suggest you go for Welch's book instead (and Welch's profits are going to charity...).
Rating: 
Summary: The First 32 Pages Were Pretty Good
Review: Then I created a new word for what this book caused me to do: "Snerk". That was the sound I kept making when I would nod off and suddenly awake with a 'snerk'. This book has many anecdotes about the author's experience at GE. It, I believe, would be very useful to those who are motivated to get ahead in business. I, however, have found more interest lately in cross-country scootering and suspect that my business career will continue on similar divagations. Another tidbit on this book: Don't use it as a coaster with a very cold brew beverage on a very humid summer day. The cover curled up about two inches and those first 32 pages that I actually did read turned a very ugly shade of yellow.
Rating:
Summary: Good Stories, but harder than it sounds
Review: This was a quick read on a hot afternoon, full of anecdotes and war stories based on experience at GE and elsewhere. Accountability, clear strategy and honest assessment and reward of people never go out of fashion. For the reader wanting to know why any of this works, wanting to look at alternatives (which the authors don't acknowledge) or interested in the pitfalls and how to avoid them, look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: I Know Men In The Ranks Who Are Going To Stay in The Ranks
Review: "Execution" by Larry Bossidy, though a great how-to book, does not presume to make execution and getting things done easy. And, rightfully so. Getting something done (unless you do it yourself) requires the willing cooperation of those you expect to do it. That, requires you to be a good leader which, in turn, requires that you understand the basic philosophical underpinnings of what leadership is. You really must get that done. But, that part is beyond the scope of this book. So, if I can presume you will also read a book like Norman Thomas Remick's "West Point: Character Leadership...", for example, that will enlighten you on leadership, alongside reading Larry Bossidy's "Execution", I predict you will become good at getting things done, and then go from good to great. Otherwise, you will remain with those in the ranks who I know are going to stay in the ranks, simply because they haven't the knowledge and ability to get things done.
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Summary: Execution is key to success
Review: This is one of the better books on business that has been published in recent times. The ideas are immediately implementable and the processes are clearly defined. This otherwise excellent book was unfortunately marred by typos (poor execution and review).
A must-ready for all leaders and aspiring leaders in this new business world - justify your existence.
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