Execution by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

Execution by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

About the Book:-
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Crown Business; 1 edition (June 15, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0609610570
ISBN-13: 978-0609610572

Amazon.com Review

Disciplines like strategy, leadership development, and innovation are the sexier aspects of being at the helm of a successful business; actually getting things done never seems quite as glamorous. But as Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan demonstrate in Execution, the ultimate difference between a company and its competitor is, in fact, the ability to execute.
Execution is "the missing link between aspirations and results," and as such, making it happen is the business leader's most important job. While failure in today's business environment is often attributed to other causes, Bossidy and Charan argue that the biggest obstacle to success is the absence of execution. They point out that without execution, breakthrough thinking on managing change breaks down, and they emphasize the fact that execution is a discipline to learn, not merely the tactical side of business. Supporting this with stories of the "execution difference" being won (EDS) and lost (Xerox and Lucent), the authors describe the building blocks--leaders with the right behaviors, a culture that rewards execution, and a reliable system for having the right people in the right jobs--that need to be in place to manage the three core business processes of people, strategy, and operations. Both Bossidy, CEO of Honeywell International, Inc., and Charan, advisor to corporate executives and author of such books as What the CEO Wants You to Know and Boards That Work, present experience-tested insight into how the smooth linking of these three processes can differentiate one company from the rest. Developing the discipline of execution isn't made out to be simple, nor is this book a quick, easy read. Bossidy and Charan do, however, offer good advice on a neglected topic, making Execution a smart business leader's guide to enacting success rather than permitting demise. - S. Ketchum

From Library Journal

Bossidy, an award-winning executive at General Electric and Allied Signal, came out of retirement to tend to Honeywell (and bring it back to prominence) after it failed to merge with General Electric. Charan has taught at Harvard and Kellogg Business Schools. Collaborating with editor and writer Burck, they present the viewpoint that execution (that is, linking a company's people, strategy, and operations) is what will determine success in today's business world. Bossidy and Charan aver that execution is a discipline integral to strategy, that it is the major job of any business leader hoping not just to be a success but to dominate a market, and that it is a core element of corporate culture. Details of both successful and unsuccessful executions at corporations such as Dell, Johnson & Johnson, and Xerox, to name a few, support not only their how-to method for bringing execution to the forefront but also the need for it. Each author addresses specific topics in paragraphs that begin with either "Larry" or "Ram," and this easy style adds to the appeal of a very readable book. Recommended for academic and public libraries. Steven J. Mayover, Philadelphia
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Book

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.


From the Back Cover

“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.

“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

About the Author

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 highly sought advisor to CEOs and senior executives in companies ranging from start-ups to the Fortune 500, including GE, DuPont, EDS, and Colgate-Palmolive. He is the author of What the CEO Wants You to Know and Boards That Work and the coauthor of Every Business Is a Growth Business. Dr. Charan has taught at both the Harvard Business School and the Kellogg School of Northwestern University.

Charles Burck is a writer and editor who collaborated with Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan. Earlier in his career he was an editor at Fortune magazine.

The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People Before Numbers by Bill Conaty and Ram Charan (Hardcover - Nov 9, 2010)

The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company by Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, and James Noel (Hardcover - Nov 1, 2000)

Owning Up: The 14 Questions Every Board Member Needs to Ask by Ram Charan

Owning Up: The 14 Questions Every Board Member Needs to Ask by Ram Charan (Hardcover - Apr 13, 2009)

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Jossey-Bass (April 13, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0470397675
ISBN-13: 978-0470397671


"This book is a most important contribution for both new and experienced directors, addressing contemporary corporate governance. The 14 practical questions represent the most vital issues that boards need to proactively address and are particularly crucial now as boards deal with the aftermath of the global financial tsunami."
—Thomas J. Neff, chairman, U.S., Spencer Stuart
"If Corporate America's board members had answered these questions, the crisis of '08 would have been avoided. The book is that powerful. It should be required reading in every boardroom, executive suite, and business school on the planet. This book with its singular wisdom could change the face of corporate governance—with huge dividends to shareholders and society."
—Ralph Whitworth, principal, Relational Investors LLC


"Ram Charan always seems to get it right. Owning Up not only asks the right questions, it gives answers that can make a real difference for improving board performance."
—James M. Kilts, former chairman and CEO, The Gillette Company


"As always, well-reasoned, insightful, and thought-provoking. A work that every director will find of value, particularly given the intense pressure of these unprecedented economic times."
—Professor Charles M. Elson, director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware


"Here is the book that every corporate director needs today. With his decades of insider experience, Ram Charan brings more wisdom and insight to this subject than anyone else I know."
—Geoff Colvin, Fortune editor and author, Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else


From the Inside Flap


Owning Up


Your world as a director has suddenly changed. You've seen members of other boards take the heat when their companies imploded. The managements of Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, and Washington Mutual clearly failed, but so did their boards. Now the board of every company beset with problems is coming under scrutiny.


The pressure is on. Your board must own up to its accountability for the performance of the corporation. Governance now means leadership.


Boards must change their modus operandi to address the new and complex issues that are emerging. These include


* Ensuring liquidity in the context of the global financial crisis
* Setting CEO performance targets in a very uncertain economy
* Assessing strategy and enterprise risk under extreme volatility


So what should boards do now? What should they be talking about in their meetings and executive sessions? What decisions must they make? How assertive must they be regarding company priorities and operating goals?


In Owning Up, business advisor and corporate governance expert Ram Charan answers these and other burning questions on the minds of directors and business leaders. He describes best practices that are emerging in boardrooms he has observed firsthand. And he provides practical recommendations on a range of issues, from compensation to dealing with external constituencies. Wisely attuned to the human side, he confronts the need for some boards to refresh their composition and for others to rebalance their board dynamics.


Directors, CEOs, general counsels, and operating executives will find here the guidance they need to meet the new and rising standards for corporate governance in this demanding business environment.


About the Author


Ram Charan is the go-to adviser for corporate directors and CEOs. Known for his insights and practical wisdom, Charan has counseled some of the world's most successful business leaders. He is coauthor of the bestseller Execution and author or coauthor of 14 other books including Leaders at All Levels, Boards That Deliver, and Boards at Work. He serves on three boards and was named one of Directorship's top 100 directors. He has an MBA and a doctoral degree with corporate governance as a field of study from the Harvard Business School.

Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty: Managing in a Downturn by Ram Charan

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071626166
• ISBN-13: 978-0071626163

Product Description

"There is no better person than Ram Charan to provide advice on managing in a downturn."
--Larry Bossidy, Former Chairman and CEO Honeywell International Inc.
As a business leader today, you face an unprecedented challenge: the worldwide economic downturn. Cash and credit are dwindling, sales forecasts are dismal, and morale is sinking. This is not a time to reflect. It is a time to act, decide, and energize your people...with urgency...
This is your moment.
Are you up to the task?
In Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty, Ram Charan helps you steer your business through the minefi eld of contracting markets, cash shortages, and ongoing uncertainty. No matter what your leadership role, Charan's insight will help ensure that your business emerges leaner, stronger, and well in front of the competition.
"We will not know when we have turned the corner, and we cannot envision the shape and scope of the world that will emerge," Charan writes. "What we can be sure of is that this is a time of tumultuous change, and with change come both danger and opportunity."
In this concise and highly accessible guide, the author provides practical actions you can execute immediately to:

• Protect cash flow vigilantly, even daily, and use cash more effi ciently
• Use ground intelligence to survive the storm and position your business to thrive in the aftermath
• Develop a better understanding of your customers
• Reevaluate your pricing strategy and capital expenditures.
• Use cost cutting strategically

.With examples and case studies, Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty illustrates how leaders at DuPont, Hanesbrands, Wipro, and other companies used Charan's techniques to get results..
The chaos of global economic meltdown has. imposed an urgency you have never before. experienced. It's a scary thing, but it can also. be exciting...if you're prepared...

From the Back Cover

"You've never experienced so much change and uncertainty or faced such a deep downturn. Yet others are looking to you for strength and guidance. Are you up to the challenge? Whether you lead a company, business unit, or small group of people, Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty will be an invaluable tool for navigating today's troubled economic waters."
--From the Foreword by Larry Bossidy.
Inside, business advisor Ram Charan describes steps you can take right now to steer your organization away from the pitfalls and position it for a new future. You'll find. practical techniques that will help you cope with:.

• CASH AND CREDIT CRUNCHES.
• SHRINKING BUDGETS.
• COLLAPSING MARKETS.
• SINKING WORKFORCE MORALE.
• DISAPPEARING SUPPLIERS.
• NERVOUS STAKEHOLDERS

.Great business thinkers like Ram Charan see opportunity in chaos. His innovative, commonsense way of approaching problems has made him one of the world's most sought-after consultants. Here, he provides help to leaders at every level, from the CEO and country managers to department heads in finance, marketing, sales, and manufacturing..
Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty offers clear guidelines for seizing opportunity and persevering in today's global economy. Fight your fear and anxiety...and take your leadership to the next level, now.

About the Author

Ram Charan is the coauthor of bestsellers. Execution and Confronting Reality and the. author of What the CEO Wants You to Know and 10 other books. A noted expert on business strategy, he has coached some of the world's most successful CEOs and. helped companies like GE, Bank of America, Verizon, KLM, and Thomson shape and implement their strategic direction.

Leaders at All Levels: Deepening Your Talent Pool to Solve the Succession Crisis (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) by Ram Charan (Hardcover - Dec 21, 2007)

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass (December 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787985597
• ISBN-13: 978-0787985592

Review

"…cool-headed guide on how to identify and retain leaders and to get succession right". (Securities & Investment Review, April 2008)

Product Description

Learn how top companies solve the problem of leadership succession from corporate America's leading consultant.A serious crisis looms in American management today. More and more CEOs are failing; there remains an acute shortage of capable replacements. The true dilemma in leadership is the stagnant state of corporate leadership development. Because companies fail to hone their unit managers' leadership abilities, they are never able to fill their succession pipelines. With unit managers stagnating, companies have difficulty executing at every level, compounding the crisis. In I>Leaders at All Levels, bestselling author Ram Charan shows how top companies approach leadership development as a core competency, recognizing that an adaptable leadership pool is a competitive advantage, and focusing their attention on bringing out the best in the leaders they have.
Charan reveals exactly what's wrong with corporate leadership development and tells how to make it right. He explains the concept of a leadership "gene pool" and shows how companies can discover just what "DNA" they need to succeed. He also details how to uncover the hidden leaders in a company, when and where to bring in fresh talent, how to coach, measure, and reward leadership, and much more. For CEOs, directors, and anyone involved in leadership development, Leaders at All Levels is an eye-opening guide on how to get succession right.

From the Inside Flap

Leaders at All Levels
"Crisis may be an overused word, but it's a fair description of the state of leadership in today's corporations. CEOs are failing sooner, and falling harder, leaving companies in turmoil. At all levels, companies are short on the quantity and quality of leaders they need."—From the Introduction
In Leaders at All Levels, Ram Charan addresses a pressing problem—a shortfall of leaders prepared to face today's complex business challenges. When so many companies struggle to find successors for their top jobs, and when so many leaders rise to the top only to fail shortly after getting there, you know there's something wrong with our leadership development practices.
In this book, Ram Charan presents a radical and controversial remedy for the crisis in leadership: the Apprenticeship Model. This new approach to succession and to leadership development makes it a hands-on activity for leaders and their bosses. People with the talent for leadership get stiff challenges hand-picked for them. Their bosses play a crucial role in accelerating their development. HR gets a new job, as trustee of the Apprenticeship system. Leaders at all levels develop faster and better, and boards have better choices when it comes time to choose the next CEO.
New but not untested, this approach works because it is based on Charan's keen insights into how great business leaders actually develop. Having worked closely with many successful leaders over several decades, Charan concluded that:

• Leaders are different from other people
• Leaders develop their talent through practice and self-correction

Filled with down-to-earth advice and real-world examples, Leaders at All Levels gives you the tools you need to create an enduring legacy of leadership excellence. It also gives individual leaders a road map for taking charge of their own growth.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Leaders at All Levels
"Ram Charan's wisdom and experience come through in the profound insights that underlie this simple approach to building a better leadership pool. Any company concerned about its bench strength should follow this original and practical approach to developing leaders."
—Chad Holliday, chairman and CEO, DuPont
"Trusted by the cream of corporate leadership worldwide, Ram Charan uniquely blends the human reality of ultimately having to choose less-than-perfect leaders (a challenge all boards face) with a practical approach, for identifying and nurturing exceptional leaders."—Bob Lane, chairman and CEO, Deere & Company
"Leaders at All Levels is a practical and no-nonsense approach to building the talent pool which will differentiate your organization, now and in the future. Ram has distilled his decades of work with top CEOs and organizations, so the reader doesn't need to reinvent the wheel. It's all about the people."
—John Koster, M.D., president and CEO, Providence Health
"Ram Charan has mentored more leaders than anyone in the last two decades. Leaders at All Levels allows each of us to be his apprentice and to learn from him how to lead and to build leadership. The book is a marvelous mix of insight, experience, and wisdom. It will shape leadership succession for years to come." —Dave Ulrich, professor, University of Michigan Business School and coauthor of Why the Bottom Line ISN'T
"The one single thing that will make or break a company's growth and success today, tomorrow, and the day after that is the quality of leaders it can produce and keep. Ram Charan is without a doubt the go-to person on this subject. This is a must-read."—Bill Conaty, former senior vice president of human resources, General Electric

About the Author

The Author
Ram Charan is a world-renowned advisor to business leaders and corporate boards, a bestselling author, and an award-winning teacher. He is the author or coauthor of fourteen books including Know-How, What the CEO Wants You to Know, Boards that Deliver, and the New York Times best-seller Execution.

Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't by Ram Charan (Hardcover - Jan 2, 2007)

The Source of Success: Five Enduring Principles at the Heart of Real Leadership (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) by Peter Georgescu, Ram Charan, and David Dorsey (Paperback - Aug 8, 2005)

• Paperback: 177 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass (August 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787980374
• ISBN-13: 978-0787980375

Product Description

In The Source of Success, Peter Georgescu, former CEO of  the world-renowned advertising agency Young & Rubicam, reveals the nature of the new economic world, and shows what it takes to win in this intensely competitive arena. Georgescu presents a new standard of leadership that focuses on the key source of value in today’s corporation: the relationship between the informed customer and the creative employee—a relationship, he shows, that must be built with honesty and integrity. Georgescu’s vision rests on five crucial principles, which together can unleash a tremendous untapped reservoir of energy within our organizations, and within ourselves:

• Creative capacity and the brand integrity that grows from it are an   organization’s most important assets.
• Enlightened leaders inspire creativity through understanding, cooperation, and respect.
• Competence and execution are as important as ever, but they must be aimed at building intimacy with the customer.
• Alignment is the critical concept for the twenty-first-century organization.
• Great companies don’t happen without leaders who have transformed themselves.

From the Inside Flap

Dramatic change has swept the business world in?recent years, rendering standard paradigms of?leadership obsolete.In The Source of Success, Peter Georgescu, former?CEO of the world-renowned advertising agency Young & Rubicam, reveals the nature of the new economic world, and shows what it takes to win in this intensely competitive arena. Georgescu presents a new standard of leadership that focuses on the key source of value in today's corporation: the relationship between the informed customer and the creative employee—a relationship, he shows, that must be built with honesty and integrity. Georgescu's vision rests on five crucial principles, which together can unleash a tremendous untapped reservoir of energy within our organizations, and within our?selves:

• Creative capacity and the brand integrity that grows from it are an organization's most important assets.
• Enlightened leaders inspire creativity through understanding, cooperation, and respect.
• Competence and execution are as important as ever, but they must be aimed at building intimacy with the customer.
• Alignment is the critical concept for the?twenty-first-century organization.
• Great companies don't happen without leaders who have transformed themselves.

Rich on many levels, the book is filled with stories taken from the author's experience—his early life experiences growing up in communist Romania and his professional career working with the most powerful companies and brands in the world.

From the Back Cover

"In The Source of Success, Peter Georgescu tackles two issues that have special resonance in today's business world: creativity and integrity. At the intersection of the two stands the type of enlightened business leader we need in the twenty-first century. Peter shares important insights forged through a remarkable career—and fascinating life story."
—Bob Wright, vice chairman, GE, and chairman and CEO, NBC Universal"Peter Georgescu gives us all a lot to talk about in The Source of Success. He tells us what's essential for business success and then shows us how to attain it. The core of this values-based business book is the belief that to be a business success you must be a good person. In a time of corporate scandal, his message has never been more right. A great read."
—Bill Bradley, U.S. Senator
"One of the most enduring principles for success is integrity, in both our professional and personal lives. The Source of Success should be considered a leadership compass for new, as well as established, executives to achieve greatness in today's business world."
—Leonard A. Lauder, chairman, Estée Lauder
"Peter Georgescu eloquently articulates a vision of decency, fairness, and humanity in corporate life. A utopian dream? Not at all. What Georgescu is really describing is the optimum recipe for success in the twenty-first century."
—Vernon Jordan
"Peter Georgescu's career has allowed him to work with some of the great companies and great leaders in the world. From this perspective he offers observations and very provocative advice on what it takes to win in today's world of 'excess supply.' This is a book that really makes you think. The views are fresh; and Peter is a wonderful storyteller."
—Shelly Lazarus, chairman and CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide
"With America still reeling from the orgy of corporate dishonesty and malfeasance symbolized by ENRON, there is already a backlash against more regulation of business. In this climate of cynicism and mistrust, this timely book comes as a breath of fresh air and courage. Corporate leaders may smile at being told they need to be honest and decent to succeed today, but this book should wipe the cynical smiles away. Peter Georgescu, former CEO of Young & Rubicam, warns that global forces have created a brutal new business environment in which productivity outstrips demand, the consumer has won, and every company's survival is always at stake. Georgescu should know: on Madison Avenue he was a master shaper of demand. Now, he argues, to win and keep loyal customers, business will have to adopt revolutionary values: honesty, trust, respect for others, integrity, and accountability. Imagine! Those are the very values business has claimed to be observing all along."
—Robin MacNeil, newscaster, journalist, and author

About the Author

Peter Georgescu is chairman emeritus of EYoung & Rubicam Inc. Under his leadership, EYoung & Rubicam transformed from a private to a publicly held company. The company built the most extensive database on global branding and from its findings developed a proprietary model for diagnosing and managing brands. Georgescu was elected to the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2001.David Dorsey is the author of The Force, which was selected as one of the ten best business books of the year by BusinessWeek. He is a freelance writer who has contributed to magazines such as Fast Company, Esquire, and Inc., among others.

Profitable Growth Is Everyone's Business: 10 Tools You Can Use Monday Morning by Ram Charan (Hardcover - Jan 20, 2004)

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business; 1 edition (January 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400051525
• ISBN-13: 978-1400051526

Product Description

The coauthor of the international bestseller Execution has created the how-to guide for solving today's toughest business challenge: creating profitable growth that is organic, differentiated, and sustainable.


For many, growth is about "home runs" - the big bold idea, the next new thing, the product that will revolutionize the marketplace. While obviously attractive and lucrative, home runs don't happen every day and frequently come in cycles.


Products like Kevlar, Teflon, and the Dell business model for selling personal computers may be once-in-a-decade phenomena. A surer and more consistent path to profitable revenue growth is through "singles and doubles"-small day-to-day wins and adaptation to changes in the marketplace that build the foundation for substantially increasing revenues. The impact of singles and doubles can be huge. They are not only the basis for sustained revenue growth but, in fact, the foundation for home runs. Singles and doubles provide the discipline of execution, an absolute necessity for successfully bringing a breakthrough technology to market or implementing a new business model.


Inherent in this way of thinking is the revolutionary idea that growth is everyone's business-not solely the concern of the sales force or top management. Just as everyone participates in cost reduction, so must everyone be engaged in the growth agenda of the business. Every contact of each employee with a customer is an opportunity for revenue growth. That includes everyone from the people working in a company's call center handling customer inquiries and complaints to the CEO.


In this trailblazing book, Ram Charan provides the building blocks and tools that can put a business on the path to sustained, profitable growth. For more than twenty-five years, Ram Charan has been working day in and day out with companies around the world. The ideas he has developed for solving the profitable revenue growth dilemma facing many businesses are based on personally seeing what works in real time. These are ideas that have been tested across industries and that deliver results, and they can be put to use starting Monday morning.

From the Inside Flap

The coauthor of the international bestseller Execution has created the how-to guide for solving today?s toughest business challenge: creating profitable growth that is organic, differentiated, and sustainable.


For many, growth is about ?home runs??the big bold idea, the next new thing, the product that will revolutionize the marketplace. While obviously attractive and lucrative, home runs don?t happen every day and frequently come in cycles.


Products like Kevlar, Teflon, and the Dell business model for selling personal computers may be once-in-a-decade phenomena. A surer and more consistent path to profitable revenue growth is through ?singles and doubles??small day-to-day wins and adaptation to changes in the marketplace that build the foundation for substantially increasing revenues. The impact of singles and doubles can be huge. They are not only the basis for sustained revenue growth but, in fact, the foundation for home runs. Singles and doubles provide the discipline of execution, an absolute necessity for successfully bringing a breakthrough technology to market or implementing a new business model.


Inherent in this way of thinking is the revolutionary idea that growth is everyone?s business?not solely the concern of the sales force or top management. Just as everyone participates in cost reduction, so must everyone be engaged in the growth agenda of the business. Every contact of each employee with a customer is an opportunity for revenue growth. That includes everyone from the people working in a company?s call center handling customer inquiries and complaints to the CEO.


In this trailblazing book, Ram Charan provides the building blocks and tools that can put a business on the path to sustained, profitable growth. For more than twenty-five years, Ram Charan has been working day in and day out with companies around the world. The ideas he has developed for solving the profitable revenue growth dilemma facing many businesses are based on personally seeing what works in real time. These are ideas that have been tested across industries and that deliver results, and they can be put to use starting Monday morning.

About the Author

RAM CHARAN is the coauthor of Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, the international bestseller that has changed the way managers run their companies. He is a highly sought-after advisor to CEOs and senior executives in companies ranging from start-ups to the Fortune 500. Dr. Charan earned his doctorate at Harvard Business School and has been on the faculty of that school as well as the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. His articles have been published in Fortune magazine and Harvard Business Review, and his other books include What the CEO Wants You to Know, Boards At Work, and The Leadership Pipeline.