Have you ever worked for a boss who is full of ideas but doesn't execute them? or follow-up on them relentlessly to get them done? and what happens when these bosses are put in the most pivotal position of a company and handed with the responsibility of driving the performance and hence it's future?
Larry (Lawrence) Bossidy who was an executive in GE( General Electric) for more than 30 years who went on later to become CEO of Honeywell is greatly inspired by GE's ex-CEO Jack Welsch and his leadership that made GE thrive in the busines world. This book is all about the 'execution culture' of companies and their importance, co-authored by Ram Charan.
How important it is for the hiring managers to use 'execution' as the selection criterion?
The authors say, the heart of the execution lies in 3 core processes:
1. People process
2. Strategy process
3. Operation process
Some pearls of wisdom offered in this book from a very long and rich work experience:
1. In an organisation the hardware (strategy and structure) is inert without the software (beliefs and behaviors).
2. If you have to choose between someone with a staggering IQ and an elite education who's gliding along and someone with a lower IQ but who is absolutely determined to succeed, you will always do better with the second one.I didn't always understand that. I too was of the mind that the better the education and pedigree, the smarter person. But that's not true. You are searching for people with an enormous drive for winning.
3. If you are staying the same, you are falling behind.
4. Leading for execution is not about micromanaging or being "hands-on" or empowering, its about active involvement.
5. An organisation can only execute if the leader's heart and soul are immersed in the company.
6. When wrong people get rewarded the whole organisation loses.Problems don't get fixed, non performers get ahead and good performers start looking for jobs where their contributions will be recognized.
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