Elevate: The Three Disciplines of Advanced Strategic Thinking

Strategy + Innovation = competitive advantage Rich Horwath has done it again! With Deep Dive , Rich simplified the complexity of strategic thinking and enabled our managers with practical tools. Now with Elevate , our leaders are armed with the framework to develop insightful strategies that will be the differentiator that gives us a competitive advantage. If you only read one book on strategy, this has to be that book! Dale Hicks, Global Sourcing and Procurement Manager, Intel Strategic thinking is the most important skill in the continued pursuit of innovative products and services that lead to competitive advantage. Leaders wrestling with how to configure their core competencies and capabilities to achieve organic growth will find Elevate a valuable resource. Rich Horwath shares with managers dozens of tools to help their teams develop the skills to create competitive differentiation that customers value. Jay Tibbets, President, ATK Sporting Group Elevate provides leaders with a framework for combining strategy and innovation to achieve competitive advantage. Rich uses real–world examples and practical tools to help executives elevate their managers thinking. A must–read for leaders searching for ways to create new value for customers and continually outperform their competition. Dean Gregory, President, Medical Devices, Fresenius Kabi North America Elevate helps executives to enhance their most important skill: to think and execute strategically. Strategy and innovation are both crucial to a companys success. Richs book provides leaders with the guidance to bring these two concepts together in order to drive their business successfully. Michael Mehler, CEO, RIEMSER Pharma, Germany

Introduction Elevate Importance of Strategy Top 10 Strategy Challenges GOST Framework Strategy Defined Thinking Strategically 1,000–Foot View Discipline #1: Coalesce Patterns in Strategy Systems Platforms Business Model Phase I: Value Creation Phase II: Value Delivery Phase III: Value Capture Profitable Growth Strategy & Innovation Types of Innovation 1,000–Foot View Discipline #2: Compete Competitive Condition Leader Challenger Spectator Competitive Advantage Competitive Intelligence Trade–off Zone Indirect Competition Intangible Competition 1,000–Foot View Discipline #3: Champion Using Time Strategically Time Trade–Off Techniques Influencing Strategy Commitment Increasing Buy–In with Social Proof Strategic Behavior Practicing Strategic Thinking Developing Strategy Habits Strategy Conversations The Power of Story Creating a Strategy Story 1,000–Foot View Close When to Change Strategy Fire Prevention Tactical Evaluation Matrix Strategy Launch Review Strategy Scaffold Strategic I Am 1,000–Foot View Notes About the Author Index

RICH HORWATH is the CEO of the Strategic Thinking Institute and a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author on strategy. He is a former Chief Strategy Officer and professor of strategy and has appeared on ABC, NBC and FOX TV. Horwath has helped more than 50,000 managers around the world develop their strategic thinking skills and is consistently ranked the #1 speaker on strategy & innovation at national conferences. For More information, visit strategyskills.com.