 Change brings opportunities. On the other hand, change can be confusing. |
| The best CEOs I know are teachers, and at the core of what they teach is strategy. |
| Strategy 101 is about choices: You can't be all things to all people. |
| The ability to change constantly and effectively is made easier by high-level continuity. |
| The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do. |
| A strategy delineates a territory in which a company seeks to be unique. |
| The underlying principles of strategy are enduring, regardless of technology or the pace of change. |
| The thing is, continuity of strategic direction and continuous improvement in how you do things are absolutely consistent with each other. In fact, they're mutually reinforcing. |
| If your goal is anything but profitability - if it's to be big, or to grow fast, or to become a technology leader - you'll hit problems. |
| The company without a strategy is willing to try anything. |
| Companies operating in urban communities have a tremendous ripple effect. |
| There's a fundamental distinction between strategy and operational effectiveness. |
| So companies have to be very schizophrenic. On one hand, they have to maintain continuity of strategy. But they also have to be good at continuously improving. |
| Billions are wasted on ineffective philanthropy. Philanthropy is decades behind business in applying rigorous thinking to the use of money. |
| If all you're trying to do is essentially the same thing as your rivals, then it's unlikely that you'll be very successful. |
| The essence of strategy is that you must set limits on what you're trying to accomplish. |
| Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it's about deliberately choosing to be different. |
| The chief strategist of an organization has to be the leader - the CEO. |
| Innovation is the central issue in economic prosperity. |
| Sound strategy starts with having the right goal. |
