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Hardcover
288 pages
ISBN 9780609610572 Published June 2002
Crown Business
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Posted May 13, 2008 7:48 a.m. by 800-ceo-read
The Game-Changer: How You Can Drive Revenue and Profit Growth with Innovation by A.G. Lafley and Ram Charan, Crown Business, 336 pages, $27.50, Hardcover, April 2008, ISBN 9780307381736
Ram Charan has written some of the finest business books in the genre--most notably Execution, which he coauthored with former Honeywell Chairman Larry Bossidy. In this new offering, he teams up with another executive, Chairman and CEO of Proctor and Gamble A.G. Lafley.
When Lafley took over P&G, the company was in trouble, trying to respond to the quick changes of the global economy and not meeting stakeholders' expectations. In Lafley's words, the company was "trying to do too much, too fast, and nothing was being done well." This book documents P&G's turnaround. It is a practical, nuts-and-bolts guide to innovation, written in three parts.
In the first part, "Drawing the Big Picture," Charan and Lafley stress that the customer is always the boss of any company, and discuss how to shore up an organization's core strengths and choose the right goals and strategies for future growth accordingly. This part of the book inspires reflection, and you'll immediately start forming a view of what you want the future of your business to look like. The second part gives you the tools to design innovation structures into everything you do. In "Making Innovation Happen," the authors show you how to funnel outside ideas into your company effectively, and how to create innovation teams within your existing structure. This phase is when you design your organizational structure, consumer products and interaction.
Throughout the book, Charan and Lafley stress that "innovation is a social process." In the third part of the book they give you a view of what "The Culture of Innovation" looks like--and not only within your company, but also with your customers, suppliers, retailers, and even competitors. Lafley made a change to put P&G back on the right track--putting the customer in their rightful spot as boss--but he has also did some remarkable things in that pursuit, such as sharing propriety technology in a joint venture with Clorox, a key competitor for over 20 years, to develop a new line of GLAD products.
Every chapter in The Game-Changer ends with great takeaway questions to "Ask Yourself Monday Morning." But with the combined talents of Charan and Lafley at your disposal, you'll find that you'll be thinking about this book every day of the week.
Jack Covert Selects Execution (again)
Posted July 13, 2007 5:22 a.m. by 800-ceo-read
"Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done" by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, CrownBusiness, 260 Pages, $27.50 Hardcover, July 2002, ISBN 9780609610572
Note: This review was first published in 2002. In a recent conversation with an editor at a major publishing house, I shared my belief that Execution is still one of the best books on strategy and execution. Five years after it was published, Execution stands its ground, and I suspect will become a classic. Here is that original review.
I have been asked to write a column listing the fall's top three business books to appear in Midwest Express Airline's magazine. You lucky souls who have flown Midwest know what a great airline it is and I am very proud to have been asked to write this column. Execution is my first recommendation. I know it is a June title (obviously not even close to a fall release)...but tough. After Execution is recognized as one of the best books of the summer, it will still be one of the best books of the
fall. My bat, my ball, my game.
Why will this book have such impact and longevity? Because its team includes a superb writer-consultant, a real legend of a CEO, and a critical, though oft- ignored subject. Ram Charan, the writer, has previously worked with Noel Tichy to write a classic book on leadership, and also wrote a little gem called What the CEO Wants You to Know. Here, he works with one of the top five CEOs of all time, Larry Bossidy-Honeywell chairman-to discuss execution, which translates into how to bring strategy from theory
to reality. Bossidy was with GE forever, then went to AlliedSignal in the early nineties, transforming that company, and was named "CEO of the Year" by Chief Executive magazine in 1998. In this book,the authors discuss each of the three main parts, Why Execution is Needed, The Building Blocks of Execution, and The Three Core Processes of Execution, and then they offer personal insights and stories about the issue. I, at first, found the style somewhat off-putting, but warmed up to it quickly. The voices of these
two men really stand out because of the unique structure of the book.
Despite the excellent resume of its authors, it is the subject matter that intrigues me most. It appears to be such an unromantic subject, execution, in the face of such dashing themes as strategic planning, globalization, total quality management, or e-anything. These are the bad boys of business books, the real lookers, but execution? Isn't that like telling folks to dot their "i's" and cross their "t's"? Isn't execution the ugly duckling paddling next to the regal swan, the youngest sister with no dowry? And
yet, what could be more basic, more crucial to the success of any strategic or globalization plan or to any form of management or new idea for the web? Execution -- ignore it and this book at your own risk.
In my experience in the business world, I find the ability to actually finish a project a lost art. The authors agree and firmly place the blame of a company's failure to execute strategic plans on senior managers who delegate too much. They supply "building blocks" to help make execution a part of a company's core culture and avoiding "hitting the wall" when it comes to strategy. One example: a leader's most important job is the hiring and appraising of the right people. Sound like something for HR to handle?
Well, Bossidy doesn't think so, and he personally makes the reference calls for key hires. The authors shore up their argument for greater focus on execution using examples from Lucent, GE, AT&T and others, to show what companies have done right and wrong in terms of executing in the past. They are not afraid to name names, and this gives a real urgency to the subject.
Jack Covert Selects--Confronting Reality
Posted Oct. 4, 2004 6:38 a.m. by jack
Confronting Reality: Doing What Matters to Get Things Right by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, Crown Business, 288 Pages, $27.50 Hardcover, October 2004, ISBN 1400050847
Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan wrote one of, if not, the best business books of the 21st century called Execution. The only other book I believe to be comparable would be Jim Collins Good to Great. As I said about Execution in my June 2002 Jack Covert Selects review of the book:
"Theythe authorssupply building blocks to help make execution a part of a companys core culture and avoid hitting the wall when it comes to strategy. One example: a leaders most important job is the hiring and appraising of the right people. Sound like something for HR to handle? Well, Bossidy doesnt think so, and he personally makes the reference calls for key hires. The authors shore up their argument for greater focus on execution using examples from Lucent, GE, AT&T and others, to show what companies have done right and wrong in terms of executing in the past. They are not afraid to name names, and this gives a real urgency to the subject. "
When Crown Business sent me the manuscript of their new book, I was concerned because I didnt understand why confronting reality would be a suitable follow-up subject after Execution. Five pages into the book I got the point. The subject is beyond timely; it is crucial for all senior people to be able to confront reality.
The book is divided down into four parts: Why Confront Reality; How to Confront Reality; What to Change and What Not to Change; How to Prepare for Change. From these four sections alone it is quite obvious that the information is divided into straightforward, logical and usable sections. One superb story is the story of John Tranni and Stanley Works and how they had to deal with Lowes and Home Depots and Wal-Marts pressure on margins. God knows, we are all being hit by margin pressure and successful organizations are able to deal with that pressure. I especially found the chapter on Thomson revealing as I have watched from the sidelines this organization become stronger and stronger in my area.
Folks, all in all, I have to say that it looks to me that these guys have done it again and created a potential business classic. I have been the first to tell you about some important titles and here is another one. You heard it here first. Buy this book.
Jack Covert Selects - Execution
Posted June 22, 2002 11:29 a.m. by katie
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, CrownBusiness, 260 Pages, $27.50 Hardcover, June 2002, ISBN 0609610570
I have been asked to write a column listing the falls top three business books to appear in Midwest Express Airlines magazine. You lucky souls who have flown Midwest know what a great airline it is and I am very proud to have been asked to write this column. Execution is my first recommendation. I know it is a June title (obviously not even close to a fall release)but tough. After Execution is recognized as one of the best books of the summer, it will still be one of the best books of the fall. My bat, my ball, my game.
Why will this book have such impact and longevity? Because its team includes a superb writer-consultant, a real legend of a CEO, and a critical, though oft- ignored subject. Ram Charan, the writer, has previously worked with Noel Tichy to write a classic book on leadership, and also wrote a little gem called What the CEO Wants You to Know. Here, he works with one of the top five CEOs of all time, Larry BossidyHoneywell chairmanto discuss execution, which translates into how to bring strategy from theory to reality. Bossidy was with GE forever, then went to AlliedSignal in the early nineties, transforming that company, and was named by Chief Executive magazine CEO of the Year in 1998. In this book, each of the three parts, Why Execution is Needed, The Building Blocks of Execution, and The Three Core Processes of Execution, are thoroughly discussed, and then Bossidy and/or Charan offer personal insights and stories about the issue. I, at first, found the style somewhat off-putting, but warmed up to it quickly. The voices of these two men really stand out because of the unique structure of the book.
Despite the excellent resume of its authors, it is the subject matter that intrigues me most. It appears to be such an unromantic subject, execution, in the face of such dashing themes as strategic planning, globalization, total quality management, or e-anything. These are the bad boys of business books, the real lookers, but execution? Isnt that like telling folks to dot their is and cross their ts? Isnt execution the ugly duckling paddling next to the regal swan, the youngest sister with no dowry? And yet, what could be more basic, more crucial to the success of any strategic or globalization plan or to any form of management or new idea for the web? Execution ignore it and this book at your own risk.
In my experience in the business world, I find the ability to actually finish a project a lost art. The authors agree and firmly place the blame of a companys failure to execute strategic plans on senior managers who delegate too much. They supply building blocks to help make execution a part of a companys core culture and avoiding hitting the wall when it comes to strategy. One example: a leaders most important job is the hiring and appraising of the right people. Sound like something for HR to handle? Well, Bossidy doesnt think so, and he personally makes the reference calls for key hires. The authors shore up their argument for greater focus on execution using examples from Lucent, GE, AT&T and others, to show what companies have done right and wrong in terms of executing in the past. They are not afraid to name names, and this gives a real urgency to the subject.
I have been the first to tell you about some important titles and here is another one. You heard it here first. Buy this book.
