The book "Execution", written by the authors Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, shows how to unite people, strategy and operations - the three central elements of each organization - and create a business based on dialogue, intellectual honesty and realism.

Most people, as well as companies, are very good at drawing up plans, but not equally talented in executing them. Therefore, the execution - the discipline of getting things done, especially at a strategic level - has become the essential condition in managerial science.

Bossidy and Charan warn that some people thrive when they are promoted to executive leadership, while others just fade away, leading the company to nowhere.

The idea of achieving goals and performing tasks should be built in all the company's levels and inserted in the very DNA of their corporate culture. Otherwise, the company will perform below its potential.

Are you interested? So continue reading this PocketBook and learn all about the discipline that generates results!

About the book "Execution"

"Execution", released in 2011, was written by authors Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, and changed the way companies work. This book examines the discipline of doing things, helping people to make a leap toward success.

In this new edition, Bossidy and Charan reformulate their message of empowerment to a world in which the old rules were destroyed and radical changes are becoming routine.

The work has 320 pages and 4 parts, which are divided into 9 chapters.

About the authors Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

Lawrence Arthur Bossidy, or simply Larry Bossidy, an American born in 1935, is an author and a retired businessman. He served as President and CEO of Honeywell International, before spending more than 30 years holding executive positions at General Electric.

Ram Charan is an internationally recognized consultant for his work with boards of directors and CEOs. Graduated from Harvard Business School, he was a professor at Wharton, the Kellogg School of Management and the Leadership Institute at GE.

In addition, Ram is the author of more than 25 books, including "The Attacker's Advantage" and "The Leadership Pipeline", and contributed with important articles to Fortune, Harvard Business Review, BusinessWeek and Time.

To whom is this book indicated?

"Execution" is indicated for everyone who wants to improve the execution of their strategies and for those who want to include a realistic mindset based on the performance of their entire company.

In addition, it is also ideal for those who want to gain leadership attributes in order to create a high-performance company.

Main ideas of the book "Execution"

Many companies do not strengthen a strong execution culture;
Execution is a skill, so it can be learned;
Take as basic values the efficiency and performance;
Execution is about strategy, people union and operations to achieve common goals;
The main work of all company leaders is execution;
Reward employees who perform tasks, but rewards that are tied to performance goals;
Make sure that the correct behaviors are rewarded;
As a leader, live and love your business.

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Overview: Promoting a cultural change

Changing a company's culture means changing the concepts in which employees believe and how they behave in order to positively influence the focus of the business.

Assuming that the company always targets larger profits, cultural changes are often essential for increasing productivity and effectiveness.

According to authors Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan in the book "Execution", profit is only the consequence, but its scope depends on the constant readjustment of performance and execution goals:

Tell what change you want to accomplish. As happens with all attempts at communication, the essential thing is to be clear when talking to people;
Engage all people on the planning;
Compensate those who make the change a reality. Reward employees who achieve/exceed the goals.

Overview: Leadership execution

The execution only happens when a true leader does the right action at the right time. So, the first action for effective execution is to become a true leader.

"Every great leader has had an instinct for execution."

For authors Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, there are 7 essential behaviors that define a great leader:

"Know your people and your business": companies with no capacity of execution usually have leaders who do not understand their team, do not understand the operational and competitive reality of the market to which they belong. So paying attention to the market and the main partners in your team is critical;
"Insist on Realism": denying reality is a fatal mistake on the road to execution. Many leaders spend time trying to mitigate, hide, or completely distort reality. A leader must think and speak according to reality and influence others to do the same;
"Set clear goals and priorities": do not prioritize many activities. Set a few activities clearly and objectively so you can focus your efforts;
"Follow through": in addition to setting higher goals and making initial efforts to achieve them, being persistent and moving forward are also the key. Then, create ways to keep following projects in development, such as holding meetings;
"Reward the doers": link rewards to performances. Use compensation to distinguish goal-doers from those who don't perform;
"Expand People's Capabilities": share experiences and points of view. Each interaction is an opportunity of learning;
"Know yourself": to teach others to perform as a leader, it is essential to know yourself. If you know you have the ability to deal well with people, work with your inner strength, resist difficult situations and accept opinions, even if they are very different from yours.

Many people say that leadership is a gift and that those who were born without this differential are doomed to fail as a leader. This is not true! Leadership is a skill that, like many others, can be learned by all.

We can all (and should, in fact) develop leadership skills! Whether you are a student who wants to develop to get into the job market with a great curricular differential or even an experienced professional who feels the need for personal development to get a promotion at work.

Overview: The right person at the right job

There are many elements that the company can't control, some examples are: the economy, the markets and the availability of suppliers. So you should focus on controlling what you can.

As explained by authors Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, one of the factors you can control is the selection of people who will be part of the team. So before you pick someone, ask yourself, "how is this person good at doing things?".

We have already mentioned in this summary of "Execution" that it is necessary to connect rewards to performance, but that alone is not enough. Assigning the right person to the right job is also critical to the execution. Many times, however, the right people are in the wrong activities.

Never keep someone in an inappropriate activity. Do not hesitate in acting. It may be a mistake to promote a collaborator who makes you feel comfortable instead of choosing a person who has the potential to do better.

Another important point to highlight is the Human Resources team. Ensure that the HR team is focused on the results set. Ask yourself: "Is the HR team bringing and developing the talent needed to run efficiently?".

What do other authors say about it?

John Maxwell, in "Developing The Leader Within You 2.0", says that leadership isn't necessarily something we're already born with; it's a skill we can all develop. However, most schools and colleges do not teach us how to be leaders.

No matter how good you are at your job, how ambitious your goals are and how much energy and persistence you have, if you are not a leader, nothing guarantees your success, since "the effectiveness of your work is never beyond your ability to lead and influence others".

In the recommended "Everybody Matters", authors Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia explore how true leaders must continually study to develop and develop those around them, so that they also become excellent leaders who believe and value people.

Finally, in "Getting Things Done", author David Allen teaches us that the "Getting Things Done" method consists of a methodology for managing actions that aim at greater productivity. According to Allen, our minds are good at performing activities and should not be used to store information.

Okay, but how can I apply this to my life?

The ability to execute defined in the book "Execution" depends on factors such as operations, strategy and the people who are part of your team so that everyone pursues the same goal. That is, you need a strong operational plan that connects your strategy to the people who will make it.

An operational plan shows employees how to achieve the company's strategic goals. In other words, it transforms long-term goals into short and medium-term goals.

From a strategic point of view, having a good corporate strategy is not enough. You must have a solid business unit strategy. According to Bossidy and Charan, to evaluate your strategies, corporate and departmental, ask these questions:

"What is the assessment of the external environment?";
"Does the company have a complete customer service and existing markets?";
"Who is the competition?";
"Can the business execute the strategy?";
"Can business realistically execute its established strategy?".

Set milestones that represent what your business is most likely to achieve. Make operational reviews to prove the performance and use the results as possibilities to learn and train. After that, follow up with a personal memo.

Remember that the ability to execute depends on how operations, strategy, and people are leveraged. As the leader, let everyone know that you are completely in touch with the realities of your business. This will greatly help improve your organization's ability to execute.

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Execution - Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan

Analyzing the leap that highly successful people have made in their careers, learn that in order to achieve them, we need to have the discipline to make things happen.