Execution is one of those business books that deal with a topic everyone thinks they know about, but few can deliver on. This book delivers. If you have ever set a goal and failed to reach it, and wonder what happened or how can I improve next time; this is the book to read. Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan effectively and methodically break down the “discipline of getting things done” in such a way that if followed amazing results are bound to occur.

Bossidy and Charan take as much of the variables out of the equation of success, by answering for as many of them as they can and getting rid of as many that they can’t. Rather than setting stretch goals without a plan to get there; one must always be willing to ask: how will I do it, who is going to accomplish this, what will we do if things aren’t going according to plan?

Some people and companies seem to always get the job done. They follow through on their promises and achieve their audacious goals. Most people think this is luck, but in reality there is nothing further from the truth. These individuals and companies execute because they have no other option. They understand the problems they face and the process they will use to overcome them that the obstacles fade into the rearview. They are executors, they get things done.

To be a leader that executes in business and in life, there are certain skills/knowledge that one needs to have to succeed.

• Know your people and your business
• Insist on realism
• Set clear goals and priorities
• Follow through
• Reward the doers
• Expand people’s capabilities
• Know yourself

These are all important things to keep in my when starting any business venture or change in your life, and I am going to go into each of these a little more specifically. Sure everyone can say they know their people and their business. But how much do you really know? Do you know what each of your employee’s strengths and weaknesses are? Do you know what gets them going in the morning to come into work? You should know the company and people inside and out. Don’t just listen to what is reported to you, go out and verify, ask tough questions, be fanatical in finding out the truth. Live for your people and your business and you will succeed.

A leader must also insist on realism in everything they do if they are going to execute. It is okay to have goals and dreams to achieve, but if you don’t know how to get there you might as well say you want to fly. You cannot lie, be honest about mistakes and failures. Figure out where you can improve. Ask people HOW and if they don’t have a good answer, make them find one or else they are likely to fail.

Setting clear goals and priorities is extremely important. There are few things that someone must focus on to succeed, but if they don’t know what they are they are languishing. “A leader who says ‘I’ve got ten priorities’ doesn’t know what he is talking about – he doesn’t know himself what the most important things are (p.69)” It doesn’t matter how fast you run if you’re running in the wrong direction. Set your goals, and figure out how to get there.

Follow through is how goals get accomplished. Make people or yourself accountable to goals. Do not just have good ideas, assign their completion to certain people, or to yourself with deadlines. If you think your people are not willing to do what you need to do, set up a system where you will both know quite quickly if there was follow through. It is amazing what a nudge of accountability will bring out in your employees and yourself.

Rewarding the doers is the easiest task of the great leader. The people and goals that succeed deserve rewards. Those that don’t achieve their goals don’t get rewards. People won’t work hard if the incentives aren’t right. Getting that right is important, but once you do, you are golden. Be careful not to reward those who reached their goals due to no fault of their own though, it is better to reward those who missed their goals but executed better than anyone else could have in their situation. If people have a reason to execute and actually get to their goals, they are more likely to accomplish them.

How do you expand people’s capabilities? You coach them. You can’t expect your team to succeed if you don’t share with them the knowledge and insights you have gained over the years. Make your people better by making them work on their weaknesses. If someone fails at a goal, do not berate him or her, but teach him or her how to do it better next time. Teach them to analyze their problems and see what they need help on. If you teach people to plan realistically within their own capabilities, you will generate more executors than you will know what to do with (this is a good thing.) Create challenges for people rather than problems, and people will rise to the task at hand, rather than languishing in defeat.

By far, the most important aspect of being a leader that executes is knowing yourself. Be realistic about your strengths and weakness, what you know, what your goals are, what you can improve on. Develop emotional fortitude to accept where you are weak, and strive to get better. Be the most authentic version of you that you can be. If you are aware of who you are, and be that person every day without lying to yourself or others, eventually you will be able to master yourself. Your actions are the best actions for you, your ego doesn’t take over, you can change and adapt to new ideas and actions, and be true to yourself. However, the most important aspect of all of this is humility. Without humility, you are merely a tyrant forcing your will on others. That is not a good leader, and you should strive for me. You can listen more to others, and be able to learn from anyone and anything. This skill most of all will propel you towards success.

These skills will allow any leader to excel and be on the path to execution at all times. Mistakes will happen, but they will become less and less over time. This is not all that Execution has to offer, but I hope it is enough to whet your appetite. Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan truly do tackle this subject in much more depth than I

could ever do justice in a post like this. So do yourself a favor, get one thing done for me. Read this book, and put your life on track for success.