Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't

By: Ram Charan

Crown Business

This is Charan's most personal book by far. With all due respect to his earlier works (e.g. Profitable Growth Is Everybody's Business as well as Execution which he co-authored with Larry Bossidy), this is also the most valuable book he has written thus far. He is a relentlessly pragmatic business thinker who, with all the skills of a master raconteur, anchors each of his insights concerning productive leadership in a real-world context. The material is carefully organized within nine chapters, followed by a “Letter to a Future Leader” and a brief review of the eight “know-hows” on which his narrative has focused. It would be a disservice to Charan, as well as to those who read this brief commentary, to list the “know-hows.” They are best revealed within the context that Charan establishes for each. Many readers will appreciate Charan’s provision of several reader-friendly devices. For example, he concludes Chapters 2-9 with a checklist of key points, each of which specifies an action to be taken or an issue to be addressed. Of special note is Charan's probing and instructive analysis of several leaders whose “know-how” produces exceptional results.
Know-how separates leaders who perform — who deliver results — from those who do not. Of course, he fully understands that some business leaders delivered results that proved disastrous for companies such as Adelphia Communications, Arthur Andersen, Enron, Global Crossing, and WorldCom. In this book, Charan views know-how in terms of “what you must both do and be.” He respects ambition but not at all costs, drive and tenacity but not stubbornness driven by pride, self-confidence but not becoming arrogant and narcissistic, psychological openness rather than shutting others down, being realistic rather than glossing over problems and assuming the worst, having an appetite for learning rather than repeating the same mistakes.

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