It's Not Rocket Science: 4 Simple Strategies for Mastering the Art of Execution

Book description

Stop chasing hot trends and start driving real growth

It's Not Rocket Science blasts through the trends and false promises permeating the business world to help you and your company get back to basics and get things done. Why doggedly pursue the "next big thing" when the most effective drivers of growth are right under your nose? This book asserts that you've already heard, been taught, and know well the key fundamentals that spell business success, and presents a compelling, four strategy blueprint for returning your business culture and strategies to a rock solid foundation of execution excellence. Each chapter opens with The Challenge, which outlines a current condition that exists due to a departure from common sense behaviors, and tasks you with following the appropriate execution principles to get your business on the right track. After a thorough explanation of "what" and "why," each chapter gives you the actionable "how" so you can implement these valuable steps and master the art of execution in your organization.

Shifting sands do not make for a sustainable structure. If your organization is to be robust and strong enough to weather any storm, the strength must come from the very core; the ability for each member of your team to execute daily and effectively towards your organization's most compelling goals. Frankly, the last things most organizations need is another goal they'll miss because they can't execute well. This book reminds you of the four timeless execution methods and strategies that have proven themselves over centuries, and shows you how they are implemented in today's business environment.

  • Get the leaders right

  • Get the culture right

  • Get the people right

  • Get the process right

  • Today's flash in the pan may be superficially intriguing, but is it really that much different from yesterday's "hot tip"? Fundamentals are fundamental for a reason, and It's Not Rocket Science is the common sense guide to putting away flavor-of-the-month toys and getting down to business.

    Table of contents

    1. Cover
    2. Title Page
    3. Copyright
    4. Dedication
    5. Acknowledgments
    6. Foreword
    7. Preface
    8. Introduction
    9. Part One: Get the Process Right!
      1. Chapter 1: Why Your Team Cannot Execute and How to Fix It
        1. The Challenge
        2. MAX Is the Rx for Execution
        3. What's Next?
        4. Parting Thought
      2. Chapter 2: Make Each Day a Masterpiece
        1. The Challenge
        2. Commit to a Ferocious Focus on Activities—the Daily MAX Acts—the Key Activities Most Responsible for Desired Outcomes
        3. What's Next?
        4. Parting Thought
      3. Chapter 3: Get TUF!
        1. The Challenge
        2. Focus Fanatically on The Ultimate Few
        3. What's Next?
        4. Parting Thought
      4. Chapter 4: The Fray Gets in the Way!
        1. The Challenge
        2. The 80/20 Fray Balance
        3. What's Next?
        4. Parting Thought
      5. Chapter 5: MAX It!
        1. The Challenge
        2. Focus Ferociously on the MAX Acts
        3. What's Next?
        4. Parting Thought
      6. Chapter 6: The Power of a Personal Success Profile (PSP)
        1. The Challenge
        2. Five Tips for PSPs
        3. Parting Thought
      7. Chapter 7: MAP It!
        1. The Challenge
        2. Get TUF, MAX It, and MAP It!
        3. The MAX Board in Action
        4. Celebrate Excellence!
        5. Parting Thought
      8. Chapter 8: RAM It!
        1. The Challenge
        2. Conduct Daily Rhythm of Accountability Meetings
        3. Parting Thought
      9. Chapter 9: Prune It!
        1. The Challenge
        2. Strategic Pruning for Profits
        3. Parting Thought
      10. Chapter 10: Don't Mistake Motion for Progress!
        1. The Challenge
        2. Sample Common Danger Signs
        3. Parting Thought
      11. Part One Summary
    10. Part Two: Get the Leaders Right!
      1. Chapter 11: Do You Overmanage and Underlead?
        1. The Challenge
        2. Paperwork versus People Work—The Stuff versus the Team
        3. The Biggest Problem with Leaders
        4. Parting Thought
      2. Chapter 12: Stretching, Trenches, and Changing
        1. The Challenge
        2. Parting Thought
      3. Chapter 13: You Are the Catalyst!
        1. The Challenge
        2. The Leader as a Catalyst!
        3. Some Rocket Science Is Helpful
        4. Five Key Questions
        5. Parting Thought
      4. Chapter 14: Buy-in Is Earned, Not Commanded!
        1. The Challenge
        2. The Five Nonnegotiables of Buy-in
        3. Don't Forget the Newbies!
        4. Parting Thought
      5. Chapter 15: Get Your Red Belt On!
        1. The Challenge
        2. The Red Belt Mind-Set
        3. Hunger Must Start at the Top
        4. Are You a Challenger or a Champ?
        5. Parting Thought
      6. Chapter 16: The Truth about Mediocrity
        1. The Challenge
        2. Take Responsibility for What's Mediocre in Your Organization
        3. Five Truths about Mediocrity
        4. Parting Thought
      7. Chapter 17: Beware the Five Seductions of Leadership
        1. The Challenge
        2. Watch Out Fors and To Dos
        3. The Truth about Seduction
        4. Parting Thought
      8. Chapter 18: Five Ways Conventional Wisdom Destroys Your Potential
        1. The Challenge
        2. If You Want to Change Your Results, Change Your Philosophy
        3. Parting Thought
      9. Chapter 19: The Power of Preparation
        1. The Challenge
        2. Power Points on Preparation
        3. Parting Thought
      10. Chapter 20: A Blueprint for Making the Tough Calls
        1. The Challenge
        2. Three Key Filters to Improve Your Decision Making
        3. Parting Thought
      11. Chapter 21: Four Ways to Measure Your Leadership
        1. The Challenge
        2. The First Quadrant of a Leader's Report Card: The Culture You've Created
        3. The Second Quadrant of a Leader's Report Card: The People You've Attracted and Developed
        4. The Third Quadrant of a Leader's Report Card: How You're Getting Results
        5. The Fourth Quadrant of a Leader's Report Card: Performance versus Market
        6. Parting Thought
      12. Part Two Summary
    11. Part Three: Get the Culture Right!
      1. Chapter 22: Remember—It's the Culture, Stupid!
        1. The Challenge
        2. Culture Is Execution's Foundation!
        3. Parting Thought
      2. Chapter 23: The Core Value Pillar
        1. The Challenge
        2. Values Are Every Leader's Responsibility
        3. Your Corporate DNA
        4. Parting Thought
      3. Chapter 24: The Mission Pillar
        1. The Challenge
        2. Mission's Role in Vision
        3. Parting Thought
      4. Chapter 25: The Performance Standard Pillar
        1. The Challenge
        2. Performance Standards versus Performance Suggestions
        3. Performance Standard Checklist
        4. Parting Thought
      5. Chapter 26: Establish Your Business Facts of Life
        1. The Challenge
        2. If You Don't Make Waves, You'll Drown
        3. Parting Thought
      6. Chapter 27: The Core Competency Pillar
        1. The Challenge
        2. The Big Three
        3. Parting Thought
      7. Chapter 28: The People Pillar
        1. The Challenge
        2. How Culture Affects People and People Affect Culture
        3. Parting Thought
      8. Chapter 29: The Earn and Deserve Culture
        1. The Challenge
        2. Earn and Deserve at the Bedrock
        3. Parting Thought
      9. Chapter 30: The Ideal Cultural Portrait: Consistent in, Mediocre Out
        1. The Challenge
        2. Why Organizations Fail to Reach Their Potential
        3. Parting Thought
      10. Chapter 31: Weave in Catalyst, Responsible, and Lead
        1. The Challenge
        2. A One-Word Leadership Job Description
        3. Parting Thought
      11. Chapter 32: Entitled Out, Tough-Minded In
        1. The Challenge
        2. You Owe Me!
        3. Parting Thought
      12. Chapter 33: Sloth Out, Loyal In
        1. The Challenge
        2. Sloth Looks Like It Sounds
        3. Parting Thought
      13. Part Three Summary
    12. Part Four: Get the Team Right!
      1. Chapter 34: How to Find the Great People You're Looking For!
        1. The Challenge
        2. Ten-Point People Development Checklist
        3. Parting Thought
      2. Chapter 35: Like is Never Enough!
        1. The Challenge
        2. Don't Get Emotional!
        3. Let the Assessment Assess!
        4. Parting Thought
      3. Chapter 36: You Can't Make People What They Are Not!
        1. The Challenge
        2. Good News and Not-So-Good News
        3. Parting Thought
      4. Chapter 37: Ten Tips to Retain Talent
        1. The Challenge
        2. Ten Tips
        3. Parting Thought
      5. Chapter 38: Fix the Roof While the Sun Is Shining!
        1. The Challenge
        2. JFK Was Right
        3. Parting Thought
      6. Chapter 39: Six Ways to Increase Employee Engagement
        1. The Challenge
        2. Two Truths about Engagement
        3. How to Increase Engagement Effectively
        4. Parting Thought
      7. Chapter 40: The Staggering Cost of Poor Performance
        1. The Challenge
        2. Count the Costs…If You Dare
        3. Parting Thought
      8. Part Four Summary
    13. About the Author
    14. Glossary of Master the Art of Execution Terms
    15. References
    16. Index
    17. End User License Agreement

    Product information

    • Title: It's Not Rocket Science: 4 Simple Strategies for Mastering the Art of Execution
    • Author(s): Dave Anderson
    • Release date: October 2015
    • Publisher(s): Wiley
    • ISBN: 9781119116639