---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Execution is the job of the business…"
description: "\"Execution is the job of the business leader.\" — Lawrence Bossidy"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b76/lawrence-bossidy-37174_business_execution-is-the-job-of-the-business-lea_2455598.png"
---

#  Execution is the job of the business leader.

![“Execution is the job of the business leader.” quote by Lawrence Bossidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b76/lawrence-bossidy-37174_business_execution-is-the-job-of-the-business-lea_2455598.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b76/lawrence-bossidy-37174_business_execution-is-the-job-of-the-business-lea_2455598.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b76/lawrence-bossidy-37174_business_execution-is-the-job-of-the-business-lea_2455598.png)

> “Execution is the job of the business leader.”

[Lawrence Bossidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bossidy/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The leader’s primary responsibility is to ensure that plans are turned into action and results are delivered.

**In simple terms:** Leaders must make things happen.

Key Takeaway

Focus on turning plans into results.

Themes

leadership operational excellence accountability

Mood

analytical pragmatic

Type

business leadership

When to use this quote

- project management
- startup launch
- team coordination

Key Concepts

execution strategy implementation performance management

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you measure execution success?
- What barriers hinder effective execution?

A Different Perspective

Execution alone isn’t enough without vision.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Business Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-leader/) [Business leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-leaders/) [Execution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/execution/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/)

## Related quotes

> [Business leaders take things far too seriously, and forget that most of the time people spend in their lives is at work, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/business-leaders-take-things-far-too-seriously-and-forget-that-most/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Fear is the single biggest barrier to creativity. Unless we're brave enough to risk looking foolish, we'll inevitably find ourselves sticking to the status…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/fear-is-the-single-biggest-barrier-to-creativity-unless-we-re-brave/)

[Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/)

> [By all indications, American business leaders are more adept at creating business strategies than they are skilled at human capital management. American entrepreneurs are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-o-toole/by-all-indications-american-business-leaders-are-more-adept-at/)

[James O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-o-toole/)

> [Wright is a visionary with a great strategic mind, and he's a strong business leader with outstanding people skills, ... He's a terrific guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/wright-is-a-visionary-with-a-great-strategic-mind-and-he-s-a-strong/)

[Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/)

> [Many business leaders today view their jobs as entailing responsibility for the welfare of the wider community. These individuals do not define themselves as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/many-business-leaders-today-view-their-jobs-as-entailing/)

[Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/)

> [What we need is political leadership which can give guidance to the development of global governance. We need business leadership which goes beyond shareholder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-somavia/what-we-need-is-political-leadership-which-can-give-guidance-to-the/)

[Juan Somavia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-somavia/)

> [I think that the main issue with inequality is not the gap between the rich and the poor. It is the gap between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-kling/i-think-that-the-main-issue-with-inequality-is-not-the-gap-between/)

[Arnold Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-kling/)

> [It's so important for business leaders to discover what their purpose is. In the days when the business seems overwhelming, or you aren't certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-f-beiler/it-s-so-important-for-business-leaders-to-discover-what-their-purpose/)

[Anne F. Beiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-f-beiler/)

> [“Jim Hackett, the CEO of Steelcase, is one of a small number of enlightened business leaders who understand that a steady flow of innovative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/jim-hackett-the-ceo-of-steelcase-is-one-of-a-small-number-of/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [Business leaders should provide expertise in service of our country. My predecessors at GE have done so, as have leaders of many other great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-immelt/business-leaders-should-provide-expertise-in-service-of-our-country/)

[Jeffrey R. Immelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-immelt/)

> [“Overall, more than fifty-nine thousand factories and production facilities were shut down all across America over the last decade, and employment in the core…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/overall-more-than-fifty-nine-thousand-factories-and-production/)

[Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/)

> [“The natural evolution from design doing to design thinking reflects the growing recognition on the part of today’s business leaders that design has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/the-natural-evolution-from-design-doing-to-design-thinking-reflects/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [The most successful businessmen were often uneducated when measured by the scholastic standards of the teaching profession. But they were equal to their social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-most-successful-businessmen-were-often-uneducated-when-measured/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [By appeasing the anti-racism lobby and affirming its culture of grievance, public institutions and business leaders are not making Britain a fairer place. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munira-mirza/by-appeasing-the-anti-racism-lobby-and-affirming-its-culture-of/)

[Munira Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munira-mirza/)

> [I worry that business leaders are more interested in material gain than they are in having the patience to build up a strong organization,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/i-worry-that-business-leaders-are-more-interested-in-material-gain/)

[John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/)

## More by Lawrence Bossidy

> [I'm just going to keep going and goind and going until I can't go anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/i-m-just-going-to-keep-going-and-goind-and-going-until-i-can-t-go/)

[Lawrence Bossidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bossidy/)

> [Complexity has nothing to do with intelligence, simplicity does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/complexity-has-nothing-to-do-with-intelligence-simplicity-does/)

[Lawrence Bossidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bossidy/)

> [I saw that leaders placed too much emphasis on what some call high level strategy, on intellectualizing and philosophizing, and not enough on implementation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/i-saw-that-leaders-placed-too-much-emphasis-on-what-some-call-high/)

[Lawrence Bossidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bossidy/)

> [In its most fundamental sense, execution is a systematic way of exposing reality and acting on it. Most companies don't face reality very well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/in-its-most-fundamental-sense-execution-is-a-systematic-way-of/)

[Lawrence Bossidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bossidy/)

> [If you can't describe your strategy in twenty minutes, simply and in plain language, you haven't got a plan. 'But,' people may say, 'I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/if-you-can-t-describe-your-strategy-in-twenty-minutes-simply-and-in/)

[Lawrence Bossidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bossidy/)

> [At the end of the day you bet on people, not on strategies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/at-the-end-of-the-day-you-bet-on-people-not-on-strategies/)

[Lawrence Bossidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bossidy/)

> [How people talk to each other absolutely determines how well the organization will function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/how-people-talk-to-each-other-absolutely-determines-how-well-the/)

[Lawrence Bossidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bossidy/)

> [Execution is the ability to mesh strategy with reality, align people with goals, and achieve the promised results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/execution-is-the-ability-to-mesh-strategy-with-reality-align-people/)

[Lawrence Bossidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bossidy/)

> [If you don't have the best people you hurt everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/if-you-don-t-have-the-best-people-you-hurt-everyone/)

[Lawrence Bossidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bossidy/)

> [People tend to look at their businesses from the inside out - that is, they get so focused on making and selling their products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/people-tend-to-look-at-their-businesses-from-the-inside-out-that-is/)

[Lawrence Bossidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bossidy/)

> [Execution is a systematic process of rigorously discussing hows and whats, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/execution-is-a-systematic-process-of-rigorously-discussing-hows-and/)

[Lawrence Bossidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bossidy/)

[Explore all 12 Lawrence Bossidy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bossidy/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Execution is the job of the business leader.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lawrence Bossidy"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/execution-is-the-job-of-the-business-leader/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/execution-is-the-job-of-the-business-leader/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b76/lawrence-bossidy-37174_business_execution-is-the-job-of-the-business-lea_2455598.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b76/lawrence-bossidy-37174_business_execution-is-the-job-of-the-business-lea_2455598.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b76/lawrence-bossidy-37174_business_execution-is-the-job-of-the-business-lea_2455598.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Execution is the job of the business leader.” — Lawrence Bossidy",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Lawrence Bossidy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bossidy/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Execution is the job of the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/execution-is-the-job-of-the-business-leader/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bossidy/execution-is-the-job-of-the-business-leader/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
