Quotes About Strategy

They borrowed a motto from the U.S. Army: "Amateurs discuss strategy; professionals discuss logistics"—in other words, the nuances of getting things done.

crucial decisions that shape how scaling unfolds. One of these universal decisions is whether and when to take a more "Catholic" or a more "Buddhist" path.

We don't think enough about the steps required to achieve those ends, and when we do we underestimate how much time and effort they will take. But thinking only about looming deadlines and short-term goals is a mixed bag as well. We focus on what is feasible, on the steps to take right now, but we forget or downplay long-term goals. So we direct our efforts toward achievable milestones even when they undermine our ability to reach our ultimate destination.

better to shoot the messenger than to learn about—and fix—the problems. In contrast to such constructive defiance, I know bosses who employ the opposite strategy to undermine and drive out incompetent superiors. One called it "malicious compliance," following idiotic orders from

Most public companies spend less than 2 percent of their annual budgets on R&D.

When someone at the Directors' College asked Campbell about the most crucial skill for a senior executive, he said it was the rare ability (which Jobs had in spades) to make sure that the short-term stuff gets done and done well, while simultaneously never losing sight of the big picture.

Another misguided trick bosses use to demonstrate their brilliance – at least to themselves – is to develop incomprehensible strategies. Unfortunately, if your people can't understand your strategy, they can't figure out what to do. And, even if they can comprehend the twists and turns, the complexity can scatter their attention in so many directions that they won't do any single thing well.

Here's what I think we face. 2. Here's what I think we should do. 3. Here's why. 4. Here's what I think we should keep an eye on. 5. Now talk to me (i.e., tell me if you [a] don't understand, [b] cannot do it, [c] see

And sometimes—if you are observant and patient—being invisible gives you access to information that can help you turn the tables on powerful assholes.

When big organizations scale well, they focus on "moving a thousand people forward a foot at a time, rather than moving one person forward by a thousand feet.

Love bombing" is a related and more extreme strategy for dealing with insecure assholes—you go beyond expressing empathy and holding your tongue, and respond to their nastiness with warmth and kindness. Your aim is to transform your oppressor into a friend and admirer.

Developing leaders who can navigate complexity is now a strategic priority—and, if done well, a competitive advantage. Beyond developing competency and capability, we need to develop leaders with courage and compassion, consciousness and character.

Sell cheap and that's what people will think of you. Loss leaders lose. Customers look for price and value and service and quality and convenience. And you'd better give it to them or someone else will.

The first four steps of selling are familiar to most people. Being a successful salesman requires: Having a product to sell that other people value. Locating a market (i.e., buyers) for your product. Implementing a sales presentation and/or marketing strategy. Closing the sale. These four steps have been discussed in many sales books, but, remarkably, I've never seen the fifth—and most important—step discussed in any book: 5. GETTING PAID!

The first one is the Tortoise and Hare Theory, which states: The outcome of most situations in life are determined over the long term. The guy who gets off to a fast start merely wins a battle; the individual who's ahead at the end of the race wins the war. Battles are for ego-trippers, wars are for money-grippers.

I tried to (and still do) live by the words of Abraham Lincoln: "If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe.

Never state, in an agreement, what you want out of the deal before stating what the other party is going to get, because the other guy doesn't give a hoot about what you want. All he's interested in is what's in it for him. This is especially true of people who insist that "in order for a deal to work out, everyone has to be satisfied." Forget such babble; it's a fairy tale that will only cause you to drop your guard and lose some fingers in the process.)

My attitude was unyielding, solidly backed by the wisdom of the Bluff Theory, which states: The secret to bluffing is to not bluff.

If theft is advantageous to everyone who succeeds at it, and adultery is a good strategy, at least for males, for increasing presence in the gene pool, why do we feel they are wrong? Shouldn't the only morality that evolution produces be the kind Bill Clinton had - being sorry you got caught?

Typically, today, somebody in top management meets with a consultant, reads a book, gets excited about a new idea, and begins to talk about it.

For twenty years, Peter had been playing with soldiers; first toys, then boys, then grown men. His games had grown from drills involving a few hundred idle stable boys and falconers to 30,000 men involved in the assault and defense of the river fort of Pressburg. Now, seeking the excitement of real combat, he looked for a fortress to besiege, and Azov, isolated at the bottom of the Ukrainian steppe, suited admirably.

Foreign policy is like hitting a baseball: if you fail 70 percent of the time, you go to the Hall of Fame.

You have to be smart. The easy days are over.

Sometimes," Llry told Rowan, "to feign an opening, is to invite your opponent's disaster.