Ruthless Execution: What Business Leaders Do When Their Companies Hit the Wall

by Amir Hartman

Book Overview

Today's business leaders are confronted with a variety of obstacles that threaten their very survival. To survive and thrive, the modern manager must know how to lead through adversity while preparing... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0131018841
• ISBN13: 9780131018846
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: FT Press
• Length: 223 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

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!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall....

Ruthless ExecutionIgnore 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?[NOTE: For small companies, the more appropriate question is "Is there a sound reason for the expenditure of each hour and each dollar?"]2. Do you have a proactive and disciplined approach to identifying and assessing potential acquisitions and divestitures?[NOTE: For small companies, the more appropriate question is "What should you add to what you now offer? What should you eliminate?"]3. Do you regularly assess whether the corporate center is adding distinctive value to each business unit?[NOTE: For small companies, the more appropriate question is "Does everything you do add value to each customer relationship?"]4. Do you effectively and swiftly manage out non-performers?[NOTE: Extensive research indicates that, on average, each mishire costs 24 times her or his annual salary. Hire slowly but fire FAST.]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

Sound Advice for ChallengingTimes

In today's world, constant change is the status quo. Companies are "hitting the wall" right and left amidst the headwinds of these turbulent times. In such times, leadership is the key to thriving. And rutheless execution is how the great leaders roll up their sleaves and get the job done. In his book, "Ruthless Execution", Amir Hartman cuts through the fog and gets to what really matters. He offers sound advice for how to both recognize that you're business is in trouble, and what to do about it. His book is filled with compelling interviews with great business leaders that have demonstrated an ability to lead change. And having worked directly with one of these great leaders, Larry Bossidy, during very difficult economic times, I can definitely concur with Mr. Hartman's conclusions and recomendations. It's worth the read!

"How Ruthless are You?"

As a fan of Amir Hartman's work, I picked up a copy of Ruthless Execution during a recent trip to the States.What an ensightful and amazing read! This book is filled with clear and no-nonsense guidelines for business leaders who want to avoid "hitting the wall" and is essential reading for those businesses who have already been there and want to recover.The Ruthless Execution Index will help rate your company and determine if it may be at risk!

Not just "Me-too" advice

Hartman presents trenchant analysis and documentation of an endemic problem in business: hitting the wall can happen to an enterprise anywhere, anytime. Discussions of the case studies are compelling. More importantly, the revealing of the many dimensions of what needs to be done to turn things around and how to do that are the core contributions of the book. Highly recommended read for senior and top managers...especially for those who think they are enjoying success.