DAVID DODSON is a successful serial entrepreneur, CEO, a board member of more than 40 companies, a former McKinsey & Company consultant, and an active investor in over 100 businesses. He is on the faculty of Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, where he draws on his real-world experience to guide students in tactical execution. He is a recent recipient of the MSx Teaching Excellence Award, and co-founder of Sanku, which has improved the health of over 5 million people across rural East Africa.

Foreword xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction: Five Must-Have Skills from People Who Get Things Done 1

Part I Commitment to Building a Team 9

1 Hire for Outcomes 11

2 The 100-Day Window 31

3 Instant Performance Feedback 39

4 The 360 Review 47

5 Coaching Underperformance 57

6 Breaking Up Is Hard to Do 67

7 Never Waste a Last Goodbye 84

Part II Fanatical Custodian of Time 93

8 Activity Is Not Progress 95

9 Make Your Day to Make Your Month 105

10 Curing the Digital Disaster 117

11 Seven Steps to Running a Great Meeting 125

12 Delegating 134

Part III Willingness to Seek and Take Advice 143

13 Five Questions 145

14 Finding and Using Mentors 153

15 Executive Coaching 159

16 A Board of Advisors 167

Part IV Setting and Adhering to Priorities 177

17 Key Performance Indicators 179

18 The Operating Plan 186

19 Alignment Through Compensation 193

Part V An Obsession with Quality 205

20 Quality Drives Profit 207

21 Walk Behind the Tractor 215

22 A Vow to Wow 226

Implementing the Five Must-Have Skills from the Manager's Handbook 237

Notes 241

Index 255