Play Audiobook Sample
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 5,350 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
The book 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, a man with few peers who has a track record for delivering results. Ram Charan is a legendary advisor 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 the one book on how to close the gap between results promised and results delivered that people in business need today.
After a long, stellar career with General Electric, Larry Bossidy transformed AlliedSignal into one of the world’s most admired companies and was named CEO of the year in 1998 by Chief Executive magazine. Accomplishments such as 31 consecutive quarters of earnings-per-share growth of 13 percent or more didn’t just happen; they resulted from the consistent practice of the discipline of execution: 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.
Putting an execution culture in place is hard, but losing it is easy. In July 2001 Larry Bossidy was asked by the board of directors of Honeywell International (it had merged with AlliedSignal) to return and get the company back on track. He’s been putting the ideas he writes about in Execution to work in real time.
Download and start listening now!
"I first heard about this book from Tyler Norton who told us about it when he taught our Esperanza board about strategies. Then I read about it again when I recently read the book, Charter School Board University. It is an excellent book!"
— Barbara (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
Good practical insight and advice on managing for results at firms of any size. Execution is key, and this book clearly explains what it means and how it brings together the critical elements of any organization—its people, strategies, and operations.
— L. R. Raymond, chairman and CEO, Exxon Mobil -
The best-thought-out plans in the world aren’t worth the paper they’re written on if you can’t pull them off. And that’s what this book is all about. Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done is well written and gives sound, practical advice about how to make things happen. It is well worth the reading.
— Ralph S. Larsen, chairman and CEO, Johnson & Johnson -
Larry Bossidy recognizes how execution in a business defines the true greatness of a company. He captures a lifetime of building winning formulas and puts them in a simple and practical context for executives at any level. Read it!
— Ivan Seidenberg, president and co–chief executive officer, Verizon -
For those managers who have struggled to make it happen, fix a problem, get it done—or otherwise transform winning strategies into genuine results—here’s the missing medicine from two who know from long experience what works and what doesn’t. Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan offer a compelling leadership prescription, and it comes down to realism, discipline, and above all, great execution.
— Michael Useem, professor of management and director of the Center for Leadership and Change, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania -
Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan define the true meaning of leadership from an implementation point of view. Larry is the expert on productivity in the world of business, and this book demonstrates how leadership is the key to achieving ongoing financial success.
— Richard Schroeder, cofounder of Six Sigma Academy -
If you want to be a CEO—or if you are a CEO and want to keep your job—read Execution and put its principles to work.
— Michael Dell, chairman and CEO, Dell Computer Corp.
Execution Listener Reviews
-
—
Ryan Moore, 6/11/2018
-
" Just re-read this. Very useful for corproate planning processes. "
— Corey, 2/20/2014 -
" Definitely geared toward executives, but good management lessons for all. "
— Karen, 1/27/2014 -
" Advises on collaboration, execution and accountability. "
— John, 1/26/2014 -
" Very good. This book is about getting things done. The authors punctuate their concepts with real world examples from actual businesses. I highly recommend the audio as a companion. "
— John, 1/14/2014 -
" Charan's book includes a myrid of stories and examples of failures and trumphs of American companies. The content is very dry with a simple message. Hire strong qualified people and a formulate a clear vision and your company/organization will suceed. "
— Christine, 1/12/2014 -
" Must read for everyone in business or non-profit organizations - indispensable knowledge for all leaders "
— Bryan, 1/12/2014 -
" I got from this book that it's all about being clear with my workmates what is to be done now, today. It furnished me a perspective on how to be grounded at work to get things done. "
— Edwin, 12/30/2013 -
" Dated. But still applicable. How to get things done and accomplished. Great steps and processes shared. "
— Tom, 12/8/2013 -
" Normal business books. First 3 chapters were good and then it was basically a textbook in my opinion. "
— David, 12/5/2013 -
" Great read. Very helpful. "
— Katy, 5/8/2013
About the Authors
Larry Bossidy is chairman and former CEO of Honeywell International, a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader. Earlier in his career he was chairman and CEO of AlliedSignal, chief operating officer of General Electric Credit (now GE Capital Corporation), executive vice president and president of GE’s Services and Materials Sector, and vice chairman of GE.
Ram Charan is a distinguished business advisor, business strategy expert, and speaker. For over thirty-five years, he has worked with top executives at some of the world’s most successful companies, including GE, Verizon, Dupont, and Bank of America. He is the coauthor of What the CEO Wants You to Know and Confronting Reality, among others. His articles have appeared in publications such as Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, Director’s Monthly, and Strategy and Business. Charan has served on the Blue Ribbon Commission and was elected a distinguished fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources. Currently on the board of Austin Industries and Tyco Electronics, he resides in Dallas, Texas.
About Larry Bossidy
John Bedford Lloyd, Earphones Award–winning narrator, is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, has appeared in many major motion pictures, including The Bourne Supremacy, Crossing Delancey, The Abyss, The Manchurian Candidate, and Philadelphia. His television credits include Suits, Pan Am, Law & Order, Spin City, and The West Wing.