[.ca] Ruthless Execution: What Business Leaders Do When Their ... (ISBN 0131018841)

Waste of money!:
Ruthless Execution is a simplistic view of leadership 101 topics. If your company needs this to break through the wall, you have much deeper problems. It seems that Mr Hartman is trying to write to the uneducated or non-professional. Don't waste your money!

Practical and Insightful, a Must for Business Execs:
Too often business books fall into one of two categories: 1) the kind that provides practical information but is lacking any kind of new insight, or, 2) the kind that's packed with new ideas but is painfully short on actionable info you can really put to use. Ruthless Execution by Amir Hartman is that rarest of business books that delivers the best of both worlds: It's loaded with new ideas and fresh insights, yet throughout the author firmly grounds his working philosophy in practical tools and proven methodologies for getting the job done. Let's face it: Even the best-managed companies hit a wall at some point. Ruthless Execution spells out a proven framework for swiftly analyzing your strategic options in a rigorous and thorough manner. As any veteran of the business world knows, strategic recalibration is a challenge that's easier said than done. This book explains how it's done. Great stuff. Hugely helpful to any company that needs to take a good, hard analytical look at which initiatives they should nurture, and which they should kill in order to get back on track.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall....:
Ruthless Execution Ignore this book's somewhat overheated title and concentrate on Hartman's core concepts which he develops with meticulous care. He suggests a number of strategies and tactics by which business leaders can respond effectively when they encounter what Hartman calls the "rude awakening that occurs when a company has enjoyed consistently high-level performance, but comes up against some new factor: a downward turn in the economy, a lack of product innovation, growth that occurs too rapidly, a missed market opportunity, or as is most often the case, ineffective execution." Hartman organizes his material within five Parts which consist of a total of 12 individual chapters: Managing Through Tough Times, Leadership: Dealing with Rude Awakenings, How to Play the Game, Breaking Through the Wall, and What It All Means. The focus of Hartman's book is on "business reversals and the need to shepherd business leaders through those reversals because, quite frankly, corporations are passing through a new, more complex, more worrying age. The long and short of it is that it's far more difficult to be a successful business leader today than ever before." The statistics support Hartman's last observation. In 2001, for example, 257 public companies (with a total of $258 billion in assets) declared bankruptcy. In 2002, another 67 did so. Go back even further to the 43 companies which Peters and Waterman quite properly praised in In Search of Excellence (1982). Most no longer qualify according to the criteria by which they were selected...and several do not exist at all. Scary? You bet. In Chapter 8, Hartman offers a "Ruthless Execution Checklist" which can be of substantial value to all organizations, regardless of size or nature: 1. Do you have a cost and working capital management program that is driven through the business? \oNOTE: For small companies, the more appropriate question is "Is there a sound reason for the expenditure of each hour and each dollar?"\c 2. Do you have a proactive and disciplined approach to identifying and assessing potential acquisitions and divestitures? \oNOTE: For small companies, the more appropriate question is "What should you add to what you now offer? What should you eliminate?"\c 3. Do you regularly assess whether the corporate center is adding distinctive value to each business unit? \oNOTE: For small companies, the more appropriate question is "Does everything you do add value to each customer relationship?"\c 4. Do you effectively and swiftly manage out non-performers? \oNOTE: Extensive research indicates that, on average, each mishire costs 24 times her or his annual salary. Hire slowly but fire FAST.\c Most organizations now face serious challenges. Many of those organizations will not survive. For their decision-makers, what to do? To his credit, Hartman does not propose a series of specific (one size fits all) answers to that question. Rather, in the final chapter, he includes a "Ruthless Execution Index" with instructions as to how to use it. It remains for each reader to provide correct responses to the 54 statements which comprise the "Index." Once this exercise has been completed, the far greater challenge -- obviously -- is to take appropriate action. Hartman can assist with that process. I also recommend a careful reading of Bossidy and Charan's Execution, Hammer's The Agenda, Collins' Good to Great, and Kaplan and Norton's The Strategy-Focused Organization.

Are you Ruthless? A must read for all leaders!:
Are you Ruthless? A must read for all business leaders! This could not have come at a better time. Hartman clearly articulates the methods and strategies on how to recover after hitting performance walls. Ruthless Execution dives into this described methodology within each chapter developing itself into a comprehensive workplan for success. As a former military officer, the major obstacles that I faced when entering the corporate world were the lack of focus, discipline and accountability within the corporate framework or organization. I applaud Hartman's approach to tackling these problems head on. As he states, leaders must be proactive, focused, disciplined and held personally accountable for all respective successes and/or failures. These are just a few points that I will file into my business tool kit. Additional points to file will include Ruthless Execution Principles (leadership, governance, and critical capabilities), The Ruthless Execution Checklist, Case Studies and Interviews with some of the top business leaders (Jack Welch, John Chambers, and Lou Gerstner), and the Performance Portfolio Framework. Special Note: For all military officers exiting the military, this is a must read. Outstanding!

A must read for those who lead!:
Hartman has an obvious grasp on what it takes for business leaders to succeed in today's marketplace. The book clearly defines what it takes to surmount obstacles, redefine culture, and regain focus. Hartman has the ability to share success stories and give examples in a very succinct and poignant manner. The reader sees what great business leaders have done (in this economy) to gain success through leadership, governance, and managing talent. He very clearly defines how NOT to hit "the wall" and how to lead your orgnization to ascendance. In today's economy executives are getting hit from every angle. This book explains in very plain english how and when to execute the right methodologies to obtain success within an organization. The stories in RUTHLESS EXECUTION are well written and offer both inspiration and direction. Definitely a book to have if you are in a leadership position. As the President of an INC. 500 firm, I find the book extremely useful and inspirational.