Ruthless Execution: How Business Leaders Manage Through Turbulent Times, Second Edition

1. Introduction to Ruthless Execution

Ruthless execution is the term we use for the methods and strategies business leaders employ to break through performance walls and manage through turbulent times. We first employed this term in 1996 when we were doing work for Hewlett-Packard (HP). During the research process for this and our first Ruthless book, it became clear that the same term captured the essence of the strategies that business leaders execute to overcome tough or turbulent times.

Few books have focused on how companies navigate tough times and how these same companies have come back stronger and more nimble from that experience. Books on American corporate life have tended to proffer advice on how to steer a business during good or ...