The best strategy quotes

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory, tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”

»Strategy is an economy of force«

»... strategy is the determination of the basic long-term goals and objectives of an enterprise, and the adoption of courses of action and the allocation of resources necessary for carrying out these goals«

»A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.«

"Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value."

»Creating a new business from scratch is hard, but executives of incumbents have the dual challenge of creating new businesses while simultaneously staving off never-ending attacks on existing operations, which provide vital cash flow and capabilities to invest in growth.«

"Life belongs to the living, and whoever lives must be prepared for change."

"The strategy process is a learning process and the work of putting things into words."

"He who chases two rabbits at once will catch neither."

»Dreams without goals are just dreams. And ultimately, they fuel disappointment. On the road you must apply discipline, but more importantly, consistency. Because without commitment you’ll never start, but without consistency, you’ll never finish.«

"Do the thing you think you cannot do."

»Dual Transformation is the greatest challenge a leadership team will ever face. It is also the greatest opportunity a leadership team will encounter.«

"A goal without a plan is just a wish."

"It is not our task to predict the future, but to be well prepared for it."

"Execution is everything."

»Experimentation can be defined as an iterative process of learning, what does and does not work. The goal of a business experiment is actually not a product or solution; it is learning – the kind of learning about customers, markets, and possible options that will lead you to the right solution.«

"Good artists copy – great artists steal."

"Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great."

»However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.«

"I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."

"I love it when a plan comes together"

»It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.«

"The more methodically people proceed, the more effectively chance can strike them."

"Some people have a sharp eye for the weaknesses of others and poor vision when it comes to their own."

»Market share is a meaningless number unless a company defines the market in terms of the boundaries separating it from its rivals.«

"After the game is before the game!"

"There is nothing more helpful than a challenge to bring out the best in a person."

"Only what the customer notices contributes to success."

"Only those who know where they want to sail set their sails right."

"Openness makes us more resilient as a company, and as a country too. That's why German mid-sized companies in particular need to figure out how to go from hidden champion to open champion."

»Once you understand business models you can then start prototyping business models just like you prototype products.«

»Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, (...). There is no other route to success.«

"Strategy is a big word. Often too big. When it comes up in a meeting, everyone freezes like a pillar of salt, and each of them waits for the messiah to point the way. But you have to realize that strategy is often just the tried and tested tool of the weak. Strategy matters (...) for anyone who can't get there on sheer performance."

»The central issue is never strategy, structure, culture, or systems. The core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people.«

»The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.«

»The key steps in dealing with a strategic challenge are a diagnosis of the situation – a comprehension of ›what’s going on here,‹ finding the crux, and then creating reasonable action responses.«

»The reason why it is so difficult for existing firms to capitalize on disruptive innovations is that their process and their business model that make them good at the existing business actually make them bad at competing for the disruption.«

»The result of our incomplete knowledge of the world, or about the connection between our present actions and their future outcomes. (...) There are things we do not know, and things we do not know that we do not know. And sometimes things we do know that are just not so.«

»The starting point of any strategy is a great situation analysis. (...) Intelligence precedes operations.«

"Embrace randomness! Say yes to chaos!"

"Execution is everything. (...) There are so many people who work so hard and achieve so little"

"What one person alone cannot do, many can achieve together."

»We have to lay the railroad tracks first before we can make the trains run on time.«

"If you intend to renew yourself, do it every day."

"When you're on the court, it's not about whether you like it or not. All that matters is playing at a high level and doing everything you can to help your team win."

"Anyone who has visions should go see a doctor."

"Competition is a method for separating the lazy from the diligent."

»You pick a general direction and implement like hell.«