It's a question that many are looking for answers to.

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There are many theories about this - for example, one of the world's leading management thinkers, Roger Martin, together with Alan G. Lafley, wrote a book called "Playing to win".

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Roger Martin says about the background to the book:

"Many people perceive strategy work as a very complicated thing. That it's a boring duty that is neither pleasant nor useful. The purpose of our book is to make strategy work simple, fun and effective. I don't want strategy to be complicated, which is why there are phrases like "Where to Play" and "How to Win" in the book. Our desire is to focus on the very few choices that really matter. By making it a matter of choices - and very few choices - I think it's possible to make working with those choices fun. And if you answer those questions, you can develop a strong and effective strategy."

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OPTIONS

In other words, to develop a winning strategy, you need to make sure you make the few but right choices.

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Strategy would be easy if you just had to deal with one question or choice and then settle on an answer, but that's not reality - there are cascades of questions and choices that are connected and influence each other. Strategy is therefore not linear, but requires repetition - a series of repetitions.

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However, the right choices and strategy can't stop uncertainty in a changing world. Uncertainty is like water - it just flows around the dam. That's why it's all about managing the changing world.

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To achieve this, we have developed MakeMyStrategy™ based on internationally recognized theories, more than 50 years of practical experience and a large number of successful cases, leading you through a process that ensures this connectedness and cohesiveness so you can make the right choices.

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WINNING OFFER

Another factor for success is having clear goals that set the framework for priorities. Winning in this context means creating more value for your customers than your accounts do. It's not about crushing someone, but creating even more value.

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A winning ambition is also not a linear projection and doing just a little bit better than last year. It's about value creation as opposed to competition. It's about your customers rather than your products. And it's about raising the bar, challenging the "Usual" and setting new standards.

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THE MARKET

Another factor for success is the market in which the company operates - who are the company's customers? As a business, you can't be everything to everyone if you want to be successful. And this question is often underestimated, as many take their market and industry for granted.

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But you can make a difference by running your business differently from a different market mindset.

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COMPETENCES

The fourth factor mentioned in the book is the competencies that are critical to winning. Without the right skills, no strategy will be successful. And again, it's about thinking about skills in new ways - be it in partnerships, software solutions, resellers, freelancers, open development with customers and suppliers, external etc.

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Competencies also include "keeping your house in order" - i.e. control of processes that promote, support and measure the strategy. This includes a balanced approach between internal and external focus.

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HOW TO

At the end of the day, it's about taking action - having a plan, a concrete and clear plan that takes the above into account. A plan you can measure the progress of, that everyone understands and can see through and explain.

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It's not about complicated strategies - it's about simple communicable strategies based on complicated thinking.

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I highly recommend using MakeMyStrategy™ if you and your company want more value from strategy work! Using MakeMyStrategy™ improves efficiency, precision and not least collaboration in strategic processes 👍

Lars Christian Eriksen,

Head of EMEA,

Insights