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The IBM Competitive Edge Book Club is open to all Sales professionals at IBM. "Six Disciplines Execution Revolution" was our Q1 2009 book club selection. The overall feedback from the members was good to very good. In the feedback from the members, we ask them the question - "What will you do differently in your job since your study of this book." Some of the replies directly from the members included: - "I'll go back and re-examine his discussion on 'execution' that is something that can often get sidetracked in day to day tasks as so many new things come in."- "It helps to re-enforce that execution is key element of strategy."- "Revisit areas for more efficient use of time (home & work)"- "I'll use this tomorrow with a first customer executive meeting I have with a new customer."- "I will promote the idea that my team needs to go back to the basics of selling execution."Thank you to Gary Harpst for being apart of the IBM Competitive Edge Book Club experience and for reminding us of those strategic principals and approaches that means the most to our clients.Best Regards, Brien Convery IBM Global Workforce Partner and Competitive Edge Book Club Leader
According to Mr. Author and speaker Gary Harpst has a few interesting observations that he has turned into a self-published book to promote his company's consulting services. You need strong strategy and strong execution. These processes constitute the Execution Revolution of the book title. Beyond hiring his company, maybe the author will be kind enough to share those insights with his readers in his next book, seeing that he left them out of this one. This is difficult because markets change and because people are undisciplined.
They are: Coaching, quality programs, business process best practices, virtual community development, personal productivity tools, strategy formulation, and business intelligence.Additionally, there are six steps to what Mr. He claims that his research and findings are revolutionary and "sets a new course for how small and midsized businesses can finally confront the never-ending challenge of planning and executing strategy."The big message is that to be successful at business you need a process for business success. Harpst there are seven areas of business improvement advancements fueling the Execution Revolution. There's nothing we can do about markets, but we can improve our self-discipline by adopting better business processes. These processes have been discovered and developed by big businesses, and they can be cost-effectively adopted by smaller businesses. Harpst asserts is "the first complete strategy execution program." These are: Decide what's important (strategy); Set goals that lead (plan); Align systems (organize); Work the plan (execute); Innovate purposefully (innovate); and Step back (learn).Put those two constructs together and, says the author, you have solved "the one business problem that makes solving all other problems easier." As a result, you're more likely to have balanced and predictable growth and an excellent company.What are all of those world-class processes you need to adopt and how do you cost-effectively implement them into your business.
Six Disciplines Execution Revolution offers a promise by the author that is left unfulfilled.
I found the book to speak plainly about the problems that the vast majority of organizations face. The book also gives practical solutions within the reach of any organization unless said organization's leaders are ruled by their hubris.
But readers should know that I asked Harpst to do that only after being wowed by what I read in Execution Revolution.As a consultant and trainer for middle and senior managers, I've seen shiny, polished companies and also those that are obviously spilling over with chaos to even the most casual observer. Many companies reach what they define as excellence, but then fall out of it, usually floating back and forth between strategy and execution. Gary Harpst's Six Disciplines Execution Revolution was the book I recommended most to my clients last year. If that describes your company (and chances are it does), you will be impressed with Harpst's down-to-earth, practical, and very workable solutions. insanely low for a phenomenally valuable book. But I've found that even the shiny, polished ones operate with a lot of commotion and chaos right below the surface. Second, Harpst emphasizes the need for a balance between execution and strategy, and never have I seen the problem and the solutions explained so well.Using clear instructions with easy-to-understand examples, Harpst shows that achieving excellence is not enough.
He makes it extremely easy for managers and leaders to understand their situation, and then what to do to create enduring excellence. In the interest of full disclosure, Gary Harpst wrote the foreword for my recent book, Creating Passion-Driven Teams. For years I have worked with companies to achieve better balance, but Harpst really puts his finger on it. Companies spend (or waste) a lot of energy bouncing from urgency to urgency, trying to find balance. First, his content is aimed directly at small and mid-sized companies - the majority of businesses out there. Also, the book has well-thought out diagrams that help readers "see" what to do.What's more, this is a hardcover book with a phenomenally low list price. If you read only one book this year to improve your business, this should be it.
But, it's good to know I have a resource I can open to get ideas and inspiration when I need it.I also recommend Six Disciplines for Excellence: Building Small Businesses That Learn, Lead and Last, Harpst's first book. Our employee survey improved 30% this year because we have a clear plan.
They've helped me better understand the mind of a business leader and clarify values that are important for success. I've read many of the best-selling business books.
Harpst's six disciplines have helped me get my arms around what's really important (and it wasn't what I though it was) and align the team behind those goals. I value them for that.I run a small PR firm.
Six Disciplines Execution Revolution is the first book that has help me understand what I need to do to succeed as a small business owner. Admittedly, I have to work every day on the execution part.
It's much more the cookbook for connecting strategy to what employees do every day.
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