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Confronting Reality: Master the New Model for Success
"Confronting Reality" will change the way you think about and run your business. It is the first book that shows how to connect the big picture of the new era of business with the nitty-gritty ofwhat to do about it. Through a completely new way to understand and use the business model as the primary tool for confronting reality-a breakthrough that will become the management innovation of thisdecade-you'll know sooner rather than later whether your fundamental business premise is under assault, where your best opportunities lie, what you should change and what you should leave alone, and howto realistically plan the future of your business.
The fundamentals of how a business makes money are being rapidly and permanently altered by sweeping structural changes. With their extraordinary depthand breadth of experience, Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan are the ideal guides for everyone-entrepreneur, mid-level manager, or CEO--about what is to be done so you can get things right in thischallenging, radically changed world. They start by showing you how to understand the most fundamental element of any business: whether you can realistically make the money you hope to in the game you're playing.
Bossidy and Charan show how to use the business model to develop a robust, reality-based process for thinking about the speci?cs of your business in a holistic way. They show how to tie together thefinancial targets you must meet, the external realities you face, and internal activities such as strategy development, operating tactics, and selection and development of people.
Through the lens of thebusiness model, as well as the skillful use of initiatives and development of people with the right leadership characteristics, you'll see how Robert Nardelli at Home Depot, Jim McNerney at 3M, Dick Harrington atthe Thomson Corporation, Michael Wisbrun at KLM, Joseph Tucci at EMC, and John Chambers at Cisco confronted reality. Whether they faced crisis or opportunity, all made the right kinds of changes through a combination ofbusiness savvy (the art of understanding the fundamentals driving a business) and business model thinking.
The fundamentals of how a business makes money are being rapidly and permanently altered by sweeping structural changes. With their extraordinary depthand breadth of experience, Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan are the ideal guides for everyone-entrepreneur, mid-level manager, or CEO--about what is to be done so you can get things right in thischallenging, radically changed world. They start by showing you how to understand the most fundamental element of any business: whether you can realistically make the money you hope to in the game you're playing.
Bossidy and Charan show how to use the business model to develop a robust, reality-based process for thinking about the speci?cs of your business in a holistic way. They show how to tie together thefinancial targets you must meet, the external realities you face, and internal activities such as strategy development, operating tactics, and selection and development of people.
Through the lens of thebusiness model, as well as the skillful use of initiatives and development of people with the right leadership characteristics, you'll see how Robert Nardelli at Home Depot, Jim McNerney at 3M, Dick Harrington atthe Thomson Corporation, Michael Wisbrun at KLM, Joseph Tucci at EMC, and John Chambers at Cisco confronted reality. Whether they faced crisis or opportunity, all made the right kinds of changes through a combination ofbusiness savvy (the art of understanding the fundamentals driving a business) and business model thinking.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
33 people are currently reading
496 people want to read
About the author
Larry Bossidy
14 books64 followersLawrence Arthur "Larry" Bossidy is an American author and retired businessman. He was CEO of AlliedSignal (later Honeywell) in the 1990s, prior to which he spent more than 30 years rising through executive positions at General Electric.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 21, 2017
what is nature of game playing what future how make money, fifth structural change since ww2, six bad behaviors filtered info selective hearing wishful thinking fear of being fired emotional over investment unrealistic capital market, risk of unpredictable regulations via states, subsidy as a prolonged death, who is learner who is future, talk straight stretch goals simple message.
February 9, 2020
2.5 stars. I was bored on a Friday while listening to this book and couldn't concentrate on it. But it was okay.
Businesses need to answer three questions: What's the nature of the game we're playing, where's it going, and how do we make money in it?
Man some of these business things go way over my head.
Businesses need to answer three questions: What's the nature of the game we're playing, where's it going, and how do we make money in it?
Man some of these business things go way over my head.
February 19, 2022
Good business principles and clear explanation of the business model, but felt longer than in needed to be. I enjoyed the last two chapters the most which focused on creating a culture that is adaptable to change and developing leaders who can face reality and make the necessary changes in their businesses and people to overcome the challenges they face.
February 9, 2021
Only Larry’s parts are worth reading. Those excerpts typically have the “I” pronoun. He has had real management experience, and it shows in his writing.
The other portions (85% of book) are common sense or can easily be read in more detail from other books.
The other portions (85% of book) are common sense or can easily be read in more detail from other books.
September 20, 2020
Hindsight being what it is, one can point out all sorts of successes and hold up those to support your argument. Not sure what their point was from the title, so perhaps I missed it.
August 27, 2007
original review posted here:
http://www.reemer.com/archives/2005/0...
This book is part of the curriculum of the 2005 Creative Good Fellows program that I'm taking part in. It outlines a holistic method to develop a business model for one's business: the external forces, internal capabilities, and financial targets all work in conjunction with each other to paint a picture of a business' health and growth oppotunities.
The first half of the book describes how to use this model to "confront reality" and look at your business how it actually is, instead of how you want it to be. The emphasis on seeking out reasons for change and reacting to the root causes (instead of reacting simply to the change) make intuitive sense to me. A long-term outlook balanced with fulfilling short-term objectives is a party line often preached but not followed in corporate America.
The second half of the book describes case studies of heroic CEOs who used Charan and Bossidy's model to right companies (in industries where fundamental structural change has occurred) or to ride out cyclical changes and position their companies for future growth.
It's an easy read and there are some very good ideas in here (specifically: the notions that seeking out diversity of perspectives, focusing on the consumer's needs, and keeping an eye on the reasons "why" industry change occurs are healthy for a business), and makes me want to check out Charan and Bossidy's better-known book, Execution.
http://www.reemer.com/archives/2005/0...
This book is part of the curriculum of the 2005 Creative Good Fellows program that I'm taking part in. It outlines a holistic method to develop a business model for one's business: the external forces, internal capabilities, and financial targets all work in conjunction with each other to paint a picture of a business' health and growth oppotunities.
The first half of the book describes how to use this model to "confront reality" and look at your business how it actually is, instead of how you want it to be. The emphasis on seeking out reasons for change and reacting to the root causes (instead of reacting simply to the change) make intuitive sense to me. A long-term outlook balanced with fulfilling short-term objectives is a party line often preached but not followed in corporate America.
The second half of the book describes case studies of heroic CEOs who used Charan and Bossidy's model to right companies (in industries where fundamental structural change has occurred) or to ride out cyclical changes and position their companies for future growth.
It's an easy read and there are some very good ideas in here (specifically: the notions that seeking out diversity of perspectives, focusing on the consumer's needs, and keeping an eye on the reasons "why" industry change occurs are healthy for a business), and makes me want to check out Charan and Bossidy's better-known book, Execution.
October 23, 2007
This seemed more like a missing chapter from
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
than a book in its own right. Although the discussion of the business model and how it needs to react to external variables was interesting, a lot of the other content felt like filler.
October 16, 2009
Transferrable lessons from business.
April 2, 2013
- Hasta ahorita es como entrar a una máquina del tiempo. Bossidy y Charan ya veían el elefante enorme que fue el crédito fácil antes del 2008.
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March 30, 2013
A should-read book on change management for knowledge workers, managers, executives, and entrepreneurs.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews