Larry Bossidy

“The foundation of execution is a leader’s deep, personal involvement in the substance of the business.”

“Execution is the great unaddressed issue in the business world today. Its absence is the single biggest obstacle to success and the cause of most of the disappointments that are mistakenly attributed to other causes.”

“Many people regard execution as detail work that's beneath the dignity of a leader. That's wrong. To the contrary, it's a leader's most important job.”

“I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day you bet on people, not on strategies.”

“Execution is a specific set of behaviors and techniques that companies need to master in order to have competitive advantage. It's a discipline of its own.”

“Realism is the heart of execution.”

“Follow-through is the cornerstone of execution.”

“You can't have a culture of execution without a culture of candor.”

“If you don't get the people process right, you will never fulfill the potential of your business.”

“The three core processes of any business are the people process, the strategy process, and the operations process.”

“You have to be a realist. See the world for what it is, not what you want it to be.”

“A robust dialogue is the core of a healthy organization.”

“The leader's most important job is to select and develop other leaders.”

“Strategy is not a lengthy action plan. It is the evolution of a central idea through continually changing circumstances.”

“If you want to grow the business, you've got to be in the details.”

“The people who are closest to the work are the ones who know best how to improve it.”

“A leader has to be decisive. You can't put your finger in the wind and see which way it's blowing.”