First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 19, 2011

The Glass Hammer is an online community designed for women executives in financial services, law and business. Here is an excerpt from an article about Ancella Livers written by Melissa J. Anderson (New York City) for The Glass Hammer’s “Industry Leaders” series.

Execution 80

Execution Hammer Industry Article 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

JULY 30, 2013

“It’s better to have grade-B strategy and grade-A execution than the other way around.” Here is sign #11: A healthy organization excels at execution. Michael Porter ——————– In my introductory post, 12 Vital signs of Organizational Health, I listed the 12 signs. This is the question.

Porter 99

Porter Execution Organization Blog 99

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 28, 2011

In fact, does your company even have an executive education program? What specifically is your company doing to help its executives develop and [.]. Long ago in response to parents’ protests about a recent tuition increase at Harvard, then president Derek Bok suggested, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”

Education 80

Education Execution Company Development 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 28, 2013

Adam Bryant conducts interviews of senior-level executives that appear in his “Corner Office” column each week in the SundayBusiness section of The New York Times. Here are a few insights provided during an interview of Val DiFebo, chief executive of Deutsch NY, the advertising agency. She challenges her colleagues to “be direct.”

Execution 75

Execution Advertising CEO Blog 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 20, 2014

And as a team we didn’t execute the plays that were called well enough.” “Any time you’re playing in a game this big, you don’t want to make any mistakes, and I made one.

Execution 90

Execution Planning Strategy Blog 90

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 20, 2011

I agree with Donald Sull that most executives either do not recognize or ignore anomalies and even when they’re pointed out, the same executives underestimate their potential importance. True, they are easy to miss.

Sull 70

Sull Execution Document Blog 70

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 9, 2011

In their employee engagement study, Elizabeth Craig of the Accenture Institute for High Performance and Lauren DeSimone of the International Consortium for Executive Development Research, explore this topic in depth.

Execution 75

Execution Company Development Organization 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 6, 2015

So… if you are a woman in a leadership position, near… Read More From Acuity Systems – A Women’s Executive Roundtable in Dallas on October 15 – Check it Out! And, when there is real opportunity to interact, with people who face similar challenges and have similar aims, the step forward can be significant.

System 70

System Execution Seminar Information 70

First Friday Book Synopsis

JULY 8, 2011

Harvard Business Review on INSPIRING & EXECUTING INNOVATION Various Contributors Harvard Business Review Press (2011) How to create and then deliver new or better products and services This is one of the volumes in a series of anthologies of articles that first appeared in HBR. In this instance, its ten articles focus on one or [.].

Review 85

Review Execution Innovation Books 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 6, 2011

“If you don’t want to go to Plan B, have a good Plan A.” Alex, on Nikita “I love it when a plan comes together.” ” Colonel Jon “Hannibal” Smith, The A-Team ——— Here’s Chapter Eight of Toy Box Leadership: Leadership Lessons from the Toys You Loved as a Child by Ron Hunter Jr. &

Planning 110

Planning Execution Team Leadership 110

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 11, 2011

To read the complete article, check out other resources, and sign up for free email alerts, please click here. * * * As executives become more senior, they are less likely to [.]. Here is an excerpt from another outstanding article written by Robert Steven Kaplan and made available by The McKinsey Quarterly at its website.

Kaplan 70

Kaplan Execution McKinsey Article 70

First Friday Book Synopsis

AUGUST 24, 2011

The Parable of the Japanese Steel Executives – Don’t Even Try To Do Everything; Do! Very, Very Well Let’s call this the parable of the Japanese Steel Executives. I remember an interview years ago with Walter Mondale, then the Ambassador of Japan. He was touring the largest steel plant in Japan, and he [.].

Execution 130

Execution Blog 130

First Friday Book Synopsis

MAY 2, 2011

More specifically, Google’s executive chairman discusses his strategies on hiring, meetings, mobile business, and jobs and education. To check out the video, audio, and text [.].

Technology 85

Technology McKinsey Execution Education 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

JULY 29, 2011

Like many such good consultants, he meets with the executive team, in a series of sessions, helping them come [.]. I recently had lunch with a top-notch business consultant – you know, the kind who has the ability to listen well, diagnose really well, and then prescribe the next steps for the company to go forward.

Execution 85

Execution Team Consultative Leadership 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 15, 2014

The Gazelle’s Coaching organization (Growing Leaders – Growing Companies) – an affiliation of trained, forward-thinking coaches, help their clients in many ways, but in this specifically: they help their clients make four key decisions.

Execution 106

Execution Strategy Blog Training 106

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Here is an excerpt from an exceptionally valuable article written by George Bradt and published by Forbes magazine. To read the complete article, check out other resources, and obtain subscription information, please click here. * * * The only three true job interview questions are: 1. Can you do the job? Will you love [.].

Execution 160

Execution Magazine Article Information 160

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 9, 2012

Soon most of us will be exchanging holiday gifts and perhaps you’ll be asked what you would like to receive. Why not suggest some business books? In my opinion, whether as a gift from someone else or one you give yourself, these ten are among the essentials, listed in title alpha order: Beyond Performance: How [.].

Books 110

Books Execution Enterprise Architecture Christensen 110

First Friday Book Synopsis

JUNE 17, 2014

“He was the incandescent man. Phil Graham walked into a room and took it over, charming whomever he wished…No one in Washington could match him at it, not even, in the days before he became Presidentt, John F. He was handsome and slim and when he smiled, at first shy and then bold, everything stopped. He […].

Execution 132

Execution Blog 132

First Friday Book Synopsis

JULY 7, 2011

Here’s another article written by Patricia Wheeler and featured by Marshall Goldsmith’s website, Leading News, one that “delivers state-of-the-art information and ideas about best practices in leadership, helping successful people become even more successful, not only for themselves but also for their teams and for their companies.

Execution 90

Execution Article Succession Company 90

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 12, 2011

Here is an article written by Jay Steinfeld for BNET, The CBS Interactive Business Network. To check out an abundance of valuable resources and obtain a free subscription to one or more of the BNET newsletters, please click here. * * * Recently I’ve been following a Linkedin discussion started by business guru, Jim Alampi. [.]

Entrepreneur 89

Entrepreneur Execution Newsletter Resources 89

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 6, 2011

“If you don’t want to go to Plan B, have a good Plan A.” Alex, on Nikita “I love it when a plan comes together.” ” Colonel Jon “Hannibal” Smith, The A-Team ——— Here’s Chapter Eight of Toy Box Leadership: Leadership Lessons from the Toys You Loved as a Child by Ron Hunter Jr. &

Planning 70

Planning Execution Team Leadership 70

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 30, 2014

So, here’s your question for the day — what have you abandoned that you wish you had not abandoned? Success requires a lot of starting, and then tweaking, and improving, and collaborating – and, then, sometimes, some intentional stopping. If something is not going to work out, then it’s time to stop doing it. But, […].

Blog 149

Blog Execution Succession 149

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 21, 2012

A truism of life is that success equals the sum total of all the decisions one makes. … A handful of decisions stand apart from the rest. Verne Harnish, The Greatest Business Decisions of all Time —————- Verne Harnish wrote the most practical business book I know – Mastering the Rockefeller Habits. In his new [.].

Execution 115

Execution Books Succession Blog 115

First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

Arlene Johnson has just launched a new website that combines her own material with material from different sources. I urge you to check it out by clicking here.

Execution 70

Execution Strategy Project Article 70

First Friday Book Synopsis

AUGUST 3, 2012

We had a terrific session this morning at the First Friday Book Synopsis in Dallas. Karl Krayer presented his synopsis of Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt, and I decided to make some upgrades to the way I blog and tweet. It looks like I’ve got some research, and some work, [.].

Books 103

Books Execution Blog Covey 103

First Friday Book Synopsis

JULY 30, 2011

When I present one of my book synopsis presentations, I like to read some of the key quotes from the book and then ask folks to “turn to the person next to you and tell them which quote most resonated with you.” It always sparks some lively and useful conversations. Here’s the next step – [.].

Books 89

Books Execution How To Blog 89

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 12, 2011

During the conversation that follows, conducted in January 2011 and featured by The McKinsey Quarterly online, former Merck CEO Raymond Gilmartin and three other leaders share their approaches to testing strategy. Note: Given the length of the conversation, I have included only a portion of the responses.

McKinsey 80

McKinsey Execution CEO Article 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 4, 2013

I was honored to speak to the GOVERNOR’S Conference yesterday in Indianapolis. The commitment to this conference by Governor Pence himself, who opened the conference, and then the entire staff of folks collaborating to lead and provide this conference, was impressive.

Conference 106

Conference Open-book Execution Strategy 106

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 19, 2014

I’ve thought long and hard about this post. I’ve decided to write it. Here’s the point. If you make a racist statement, or write a racist thought/comment/e-mail, it is because you harbor some racism. If you have a racist thought, it is because a part of you is…racist. Here’s the catalyst: the racist e-mails from […]. Randy''s blog entries'

Execution 131

Execution Blog 131

First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

I’ve been asking the same question(s) to the leadership teams of a few different groups over the last few weeks. It’s actually a two-part question) The questions are: When your leadership team sets your strategy, are you succeeding in these two ways: #1 – Are you listening to the “troops” (everyone in the organization) before [.].

Strategy 110

Strategy Organization Execution Team 110

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 11, 2013

{On April 5, 2013, we will celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the First Friday Book Synopsis, and begin our 16th year. During March, I will post a blog post per day remembering key insights from some of the books I have presented over the 15 years of the First Friday Book Synopsis. We have met [.].

Books 115

Books Charan Execution Blog 115

First Friday Book Synopsis

MAY 10, 2013

Ten Types of Innovation: The Discipline of Building Breakthroughs Larry Keeley with Ryan Pikkel, Brian Quinn, and Helen Walters John Wiley & Sons (2013) “Vision without execution is hallucination.” Thomas Edison With regard to the Edison quotation, I agree while presuming to add, “Execution without discipline is merely activity.”

Quinn 98

Quinn Ryan Innovation Books 98

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 26, 2013

How do executives stay organized? Executive Suite seeks answers to the behind-the-scenes questions. Bob''s blog entries CEO.com Dow Jones Executive Suite Harley-Davidson CEO: Getting Up to Speed Harley-Davidson Rachel Feintzeig How do executives stay organized? What do executives do for fun? WSJ''s At Work blog'

CEO 75

CEO Execution Blog Strategy 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Peter DiGiammarino is a senior executive with 35 years of success leading businesses that target tight public and private markets around the world. DiGiammarino: Part 1 of an interview by Bob Morris Tom Davenport University of San Francisco'

Kotter 99

Kotter Drucker Software Tools 99

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 7, 2013

Beyond the Idea: How to Execute Innovation in Any Organization Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble St. Martin’s Press (2013) “Vision without execution is hallucination.” Martins Press The Other Side of Innovation: Solving the Execution Challenge Thomas Edison Vijay Govindarajan'

Govindarajan 75

Govindarajan Review Books Innovation 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 1, 2013

Beyond the Idea: How to Execute Innovation in Any Organization Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble St. Martin’s Press (2013) “Vision without execution is hallucination.” Martins Press The Other Side of Innovation: Solving the Execution Challenge Thomas Edison Vijay Govindarajan'

Govindarajan 75

Govindarajan Review Books Innovation 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 2, 2013

He is recognized as a pioneer in leadership development and executive development, focusing on optimizing executive, team, and organizational performance. He is the founder of LeaderSource, a premier global leadership and talent consulting practice, as well as the Executive to Leader Institute®, an [.].

CEO 85

CEO Execution Globalization Consultative 85