Six Disciplines Execution Revolution: Solving the One Business Problem That Makes Solving All Other Problems Easier

by Gary Harpst

Book Overview

THE NEW YORK TIMES AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLERWith all of the pressures successful business leaders have today, none is more urgent or challenging than learning the ability to execute strategy.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0981641105
• ISBN13: 9780981641102
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Six Disciplines Publishing
• Length: 196 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Holistic Approach Makes This A Winner

The principles for success in business are not unlike the principles that support and create success in many of life's endeavors. What Gary Harpst has tapped into, and what makes this book and the ideas behind it so unique, in comparison to others like it, is the bringing of a real world, dynamic involvment in everything that works its way toward effective strategy and "execution". I have told people that the closest analogy I can come up with, to sum up my experience with Six Disciplines, is to reference a comparison of Bruce Lee to a classical Karate instructor. -- Where the Karate instructor would measure his talent by his ability to perform and display increasingly complex and difficult techniques, Bruce Lee would excel at becoming amazingly effective in the very simplist and most direct of movements. Bruce Lee was all about stripping away what is useless and absorbing what is useful and so, it seems, is Six Disciplines. The magic formula for success in Lee's makeup was his unwavering commitment to striving for excellence in the simple things that many other's tend to shrug off and take for granted as they search for the pursuit of excellence in complexity. That and Lee was a superb example of success through well balanced strategy and execution. There's a vast amount of knowledge behind the scenes in this book and the good part is that Gary Harpst has managed to harvest the fruits of so much labor for all of us to benefit from, and in a way that can transform "pretty good" into "Great!"

A Great Book for a Struggling Business Environment

With our struggling economy, the crisis with rising prices in energy and the continual, increasing rise in food prices, a large percentage of American businesses are struggling. The timing of this book could not have been better. This book details a strategy execution program for your organization. The guides in this book with will assist any manager at any level with moving into a proactive stance rather than reactive. Surprises - some small, some business killers - are around every turn. This book deals with these issues head on in an open and honest way. The field testing that was performed along with the best practices of know organizations takes a lot of pressure off for those who wish to pursue the advice in this wonderful new book. I can assure you that you will not have buyer's remorse. Buy copies for all of your managers and leaders. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author ofWingtips with Spurs

Great Stories, But Be Careful

Harpst's great book should be tempered with book's like How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of "Intangibles" in Business and The Halo Effect: ... and the Eight Other Business Delusions That Deceive Managers. If we are careful to qualify how much can really be gathered even from a single person's "sample", even it it is the numerous experiences of someone like Gary Harpst, then we can learn a lot from his anecdotal evidence. I would add methods Hubbard's How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of "Intangibles" in Business to address some issue that Harpst only alludes to - like how to tell what adds the most shareholder value or knowing if activities are leading toward successful execution. But, for what it is, it is probably the best manager's perspective on focusing on what matters for successful delivery. Harpst's prose sometimes reminds me of half-time pep-talk springled with a lot of touchy-feely manager-speak. But there is no doubt his examples of "getting things done" are engaging. I might also suggest reading this alongside Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets just for a healthy dose of skepticism about management observations.

Revolutionary advice

This is a book designed to get your business to the next level. I loved this book, and I think the subtitle sums it up quite well: "Solving the one business problem that makes solving all other problems easier." What's the "one problem?" Execution. Voice of experience If you're unfamiliar with Gary, he was the founder of Solomon Accounting (very popular software back in the 80's and early 90's when the PC industry was very young). He grew his business form startup to achieve great success, finally selling the company to Great Plains Software (since purchased by Microsoft) for a hefty sum. One of the things I love about Gary's methods and style is that he incorporates his own lessons learned, successes, and experiences into his books - and that makes his guidance seem much more actionable and achievable. More than a memoir Don't worry, though - this book is not about hyping up Gary's past. Instead, he presents stories we can learn from (like when he had to layoff half his company) and provides structure and techniques so other small-to-medium businesses (SMB's) can avoid some of the problems he encountered. The other thing I noticed very early in the book is that Gary uses tons of data to support his ideas (but I guess that makes sense from a guy who started an accounting software company). The stories Harpst relates (his own and specially selected vignettes from other companies) rang true for me - whether he was talking about the problem with communication as an organization grows, the tendency to refrain from action even when you know the right thing to do, or problems that occur when you don't factor human nature into the difficulty of making business changes. A book of action This book is centered on a methodology designed to guide you through actionable steps to become better at execution within the business, with the goal of taking your business to the next level. Just as his first book focused on Six Disciplines, Harpst has focused Execution Revolution on a 6-phase system to address problems with execution: Decide what's important (Strategy) Set goals that lead (Plan) Align systems (Organize) Work the plan (Execute) Innovate purposefully (Innovate) Step back (Learn) And the whole thing repeats. Knowing vs. doing Now, at a glance, you might think "OK - that all sounds obvious or familiar..." but I encourage you to see what Harpst has to say. After all, how many business have a pretty good idea what they should be doing, but are falling short on delivery and execution? Harpst has obviously been there along with the rest of us, and has devoted his attention to helping organizations break through this obstacle to become high performers. Harpst's book goes beyond platitudes, and his recommendations are meaty and actionable. This is not a 'getting started' business book. It's a 'getting better' or 'getting results' book that is well-suited for established SMB's who are in the midst of (or in fear of) a plateau or decline in per

Creating and then sustaining an "organization for all seasons"

Gary Harpst agrees with Thomas Edison: "Vision without execution is hallucination." In his previous book, Six Disciplines for Excellence, Harpst explains the importance of focusing on what's important (i.e. renewing mission, clarifying values, strengthening strategic position, and engaging others with a crystal clear vision as well as defining very few objectives and agreeing on what to stop); of setting goals that engage people (i.e. those that help people to remain focused on doing what must be done to achieve the organization's given objectives); of getting strategies, people, and processes as well as systems in proper alignment; of "working the plan" (i.e. investing in each moment help build the most preferred future for the organization...and make life and work more fulfilling for each individual); of innovating purposefully (e.g. brainstorming regularly as well as recognizing and rewarding the best ideas); and of stepping back (i.e. taking a close look at what's taking place, both internally and externally, and to make whatever mid-course corrections may be needed to ensure the organization is headed in the right direction). In his latest book, Harpst asserts that "excellence is the enduring pursuit of balanced strategy and execution. Strategy requires choosing what promises to make to all stakeholders and a roadmap for delivering on those promises. Execution requires getting there, while overcoming unending surprises. Of the two, execution is far more difficult to achieve, but it is fruitless without sold strategy. Learning how to balance these two is the key to excellence. Excellence is a journey that never ends. It's an enduring pursuit that requires an enduring approach." In my opinion, the greatest value of this book is derived from the clarity, concision, and precision with which Harpst "nails the basics" in terms of how to formulate an appropriate strategy, with its primary objective to solve an organization's most serious problem because, "if you focus on solving the right problem, the solution of all other problems will be easier (not easy)." On occasion, "all the pieces fall together, creating a leapfrog opportunity to solve old problems." Whether or not what Harpst recommends is "a fundamentally new way" is for each reader to determine. I agree with him that everyone involved in a given organization, "top to bottom," should remain focused on achieving long-term goals with an appropriate strategy. Meanwhile, of course, sufficient revenue must be generated and there must also be effective development of leadership and management skills at all levels and in all areas. As a farmer once observed to Ralph Emerson, "Having a vision is wonderful but you still have to milk the cows and feed the pigs." With all due respect to the worthy goals of producing more and better work in less time and at a lower cost, of productivity and efficiency, etc., Harpst stresses the importance of knowing and then doing what will add the greatest value