Larry Bossidy

Larry Bossidy has been a key figure in the business world for many decades. He has published several books that share insight into his business acumen, provide takeaways for success, and set examples of how to achieve greatness in the professional sphere.

Larry Bossidy was born in 1946 in Huntsville, Alabama, the son of an aerospace engineer. After graduating from the Hunstville High School and the Georgia Institute of Technology, he joined the Marine Corps, and later went on to found Automated Biological Systems, a medical company. His CEO experience began in 1975, when he was appointed president of Morton Thiokol, Inc.

Most notably, Bossidy rose through the executive ranks at General Electric, beginning in 1981 and ending as CEO in 1995. Under his leadership, GE saw a reported 450% share price increase. Bossidy was chiefly responsible for introducing the concept of "Six Sigma" to the business world, which is today a globally recognized metric for measuring the quality of a product.

His writings, five books to date, reflect on his path to success, share valuable lessons learned throughout his career, and provide guidance and strategies to aspiring executives. His first book, Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, reflects on the importance of close relationships between leadership and performance, and offers strategies for translating business strategies into reality.

In 2002, Bossidy published an autobiography titled The Values of Execution: Constructing and Transforming a Human Enterprise. The book reflects on his experiences in leading the charge for execution at GE and offers insights and strategies for how to achieve similar outcomes in one's own professional life.

More from Bossidy came four years later in 2006 with the publication of Confronting Reality: Doing What Matters to Get Things Right. Here, he tackled the challenging, yet essential task of balancing short-term goals with long-term strategies. He also stressed the importance of aligning all employees in common business principles.

In 2009, Bossidy published his fourth book, Optimizing the Power of Action Learning, again reflecting on his experiences at GE to demonstrate how companies can benefit from programs of action and interactive learning. The book delves into the process of action learning, which allows supervisors to mentor and guide employees to new successes, and offers advice on developing these skills.

Finally, Bossidy's fifth and most recent book, Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs, was published in 2018. The book is co-authored with Ram Charan and shares the success story of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), a planning framework for communicating and managing individual commitments during a project.

For over 40 years, Larry Bossidy has been one of the most influential business figures in the world. With five books to his name, each offering thoughtful and strategic takeaways, he continues to share innovative insight and guidance for executives and leaders alike. Through his passion for performance and due diligence to creating an exceptional work atmosphere, Larry Bossidy has forged a long and successful career as a business leader and mentor.