You’ve got bright ideas and smart people, and market is just ready for you. But why hasn’t your business taken off as you predicted? Maybe problem is in your execution. What does it really take to get a business going? You need right people combined with realistic strategies to create effective operating procedures. Let Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan tell you how.

A business leader’s most important job is execution of plans, “detail work,” making sure that staff is getting results. This is sort of responsibility that cannot be delegated. It is leader’s primary duty to see that every member of team is carrying out his part of big plan to ensure whole company’s success. There are no excuses for failure: market will always be tough. What spells difference between successes and failures is ability to execute plans.

Too often, too much intellectualizing and philosophy occurs at planning level. The leaders are busy with their dreams and plans for success but there is little focus on implementation, thus promised result is not delivered. The emphasis on execution as an integral part of business process has not received enough attention in terms of accumulated knowledge and literature.

The Building Blocks of Execution

The Leader’s Seven Essential Behaviors

1. Know Your People and Your Business. 2. Insist on Realism. 3. Set Clear Goals and Priorities. 4. Follow Through. 5. Reward Doers. 6. Expand People’s Capabilities through Coaching. 7. Know Yourself.

Creating Framework for Cultural Change

You can’t just institute changes for sake of shaking things up at your company. Your changes must be geared towards getting results. Be specific: what sort of behavior is acceptable in your company? What’s unacceptable? Change must begin at top-level, to set an example down line. Don’t just expect it to happen either. Reward successful implementation of your plans to instigate change.

The Job No Leader Should Delegate—Having Right People in Right Jobs

Hiring right people is as important as planning ahead; you need people who are not only capable, but also full of potential for growth as your business expands. Take time to focus on your staff, because in effect your business is in their hands. Take time to develop your staff’s leadership capabilities so that they can bring results to your plans and visions. Assess individual capabilities and determine if you can further develop your employee through training, coaching and exposure, or if he’s better off elsewhere. If you can properly develop your people, you should be able to fill top administrative posts from within. Hire a talented person and she will hire a talented person.

The Processes of Execution

A. Linking People to Strategy and Operations

Break your strategy down into manageable near-, medium- and long-term goals. Determine kinds of skills you need for upcoming goals and start laying foundations early. Then design an action plan for each step of your big plan.

B. Developing Leadership Pipeline Through Continuous Improvement, Succession Depth and Reducing Retention Risk

Meeting your goals depends on quality of people you have. Assess today those who can be leaders in future through following: The Leadership Assessment Summary, The Continuous Improvement Summary, Succession Depth, and Reducing Retention Risk Analysis.

C. Dealing with Non-performers

The best-selling job-hunter’s bible for decades, this indispensable resource is a complete handbook for people who are on a quest to find their mission in life, or at very least, next good job that will put food on table. Whether you are a fresh graduate, never finished a degree, or are searching for your deeper calling after many years of work, this is book for you. You may need a temporary job, but book strongly suggests a major life-changing one!

There are two types of job searches: traditional, and life-changing. The former requires usual resume-matched-to-the-employer-formula. The latter begins with a weekend of honest soul-searching and really deep thought. The actual life-changing job hunt may take much longer. You must have adequate reserves of energy and determination to go on this hunt. But result of long search is well worth it. Why? Because search for “job of your dreams” is really search for your true happiness…and you have every right to seek this happiness.

What are you looking for? You may choose to embark on a life-changing job hunt for following reasons: you are suffering from burnout, you want to set your career path straight, or you may want to earn more money. The best reason, though, is when you are searching for your mission in life.

The advantage of doing life-changing job hunt is obvious: it makes you rethink your goals, really think about what you want to accomplish in this life, and it’s about getting in touch with who you really are. It requires time, effort and a lot of deep thought.

Looking for a Job

1. Write your resume well. There are several resume-writing resources enumerated in book for your easy reference. You may also ask your friends who are known for writing excellent resumes for assistance. 2. Your resume should be a summary of relevant work accomplishments, citing what tasks you were responsible for, what obstacle you had to overcome and what you did to solve problem and what results of your actions translated into in terms of profits, etc. 3. Go where employers go: www.monster.com, www.hotjobs.com, www.flipdog.com, and www.eurojobs.com are just some sample sites you could look at. 4. There are other ways to find a job than on Internet. Use your contacts. Study phone book, or look around your neighborhood. It is still always best to be referred to an employer by a good friend or colleague.

How Employers Hunt for Job-Hunters Employers like it when you:

1. Find their job ad on Internet or on their web site. 2. E-mail your resume immediately. 3. Mail a professionally laid-out paper copy to employer’s mailing address on same day. 4. Make a follow-up phone call within week to see if both copies were received, and to inquire about an appointment for an interview. 5. If you do get interviewed, send a thank-you note immediately after interview.

23 Tips to a Successful Job-Hunt