1) Strategy starts with insight, not analysis
Great strategy comes from creative insight—seeing patterns competitors miss—rather than piling up data or frameworks.
2) The Strategic Triangle: Company–Customer–Competitor
Win by optimizing all three simultaneously, not by focusing inward. Advantage exists only relative to competitors and valuable to customers.
3) Relative advantage matters more than absolute strength
Being good isn’t enough; you must be better where it counts—on cost, differentiation, or focus—versus specific rivals.
4) Focus on key success factors (KSFs)
Identify the few variables that truly drive success in an industry and concentrate resources there, ignoring noise.
5) Break the business into strategic segments
Don’t accept industry definitions. Re-segment markets to find pockets where you can win disproportionately.
6) Zero-based thinking beats incrementalism
Question all assumptions. Design strategy as if starting from scratch, not by tweaking last year’s plan.
7) Create advantage through economic logic, not slogans
Strategy must change cost structures, price realization, or value perception—not just positioning language.
8) Trade-offs are essential
Trying to please everyone destroys advantage. Choose what not to do as deliberately as what to do.
9) Execution is part of strategy
A strategy that can’t be executed—given organization, incentives, and processes—isn’t a strategy.
10) Strategy is dynamic, not a document
Competitive advantage erodes. Strategists must continually rethink as markets, customers, and rivals evolve.
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