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The Strategy Dialogues: A Primer on Business Strategy and Strategic Management
Engage your strategic mind!
“Makes strategy actionable and understandable.”
‒Patrick Lencioni, Author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
What does it mean to think strategically? How do I set the right direction for my organization? And how can I turn strategic aspirations into reality?
In The Strategy Dialogues, you will find the answers to these questions. In this transformative book, former US Assistant Secretary of State, accomplished CEO, and award-winning professor Dr. John Hillen invites you to eavesdrop on a series of strategy workshops and conversations, offering a front-row seat to witness the basic tools of strategic thinking applied to real-world organizational challenges.
Master the art of strategic delve into the heart of strategic management and learn how to think strategically in any situation or organization.Foundational frameworks equip yourself with essential tools and analytical frameworks, demystifying the complexity of strategic management with engaging and understandable explanations.Strategic leadership discover the skills that set top-tier strategists apart, with insights into how strategic capabilities can be cultivated and honed through focus, discipline, and practice.
Whether you’re a seasoned leader or a student of strategy, The Strategy Dialogues can serve as your one-stop-shop for understanding, applying, and mastering strategic thinking to propel your career or organization to the next level.
“A masterclass in how to think and act strategically in book form.”
‒ Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, Author of A History
“Masterfully breaks down the fundamentals of what strategy is and how to use it to make your company and life more effective and meaningful.”
‒ Arthur C. Brooks, Harvard Professor and #1 New York Times bestselling author
“A fun and enlightening way to learn about strategic management!”
‒Professor Sarah E. Nutter, former Dean of the Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon, and former Dean of the
School of Business at George Mason University
“The Strategy Dialogues will empower you to navigate the complexities of the modern business world.”
‒Chris Nassetta, President and CEO of Hilton
“John Hillen makes understanding strategy fun and accessible.”
‒Lieutenant General H. R. McMaster, PhD, Former US National Security Advisor
“A brilliant combination of wisdom, practicality, and storytelling!”
‒Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
About the author
The Honorable Dr John Hillen is a highly accomplished CEO of several companies, Board Chairman, former US Assistant Secretary of State, and an award-winning professor who has taught at Duke University, George Mason University, and Hampden-Sydney College.
“Makes strategy actionable and understandable.”
‒Patrick Lencioni, Author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
What does it mean to think strategically? How do I set the right direction for my organization? And how can I turn strategic aspirations into reality?
In The Strategy Dialogues, you will find the answers to these questions. In this transformative book, former US Assistant Secretary of State, accomplished CEO, and award-winning professor Dr. John Hillen invites you to eavesdrop on a series of strategy workshops and conversations, offering a front-row seat to witness the basic tools of strategic thinking applied to real-world organizational challenges.
Master the art of strategic delve into the heart of strategic management and learn how to think strategically in any situation or organization.Foundational frameworks equip yourself with essential tools and analytical frameworks, demystifying the complexity of strategic management with engaging and understandable explanations.Strategic leadership discover the skills that set top-tier strategists apart, with insights into how strategic capabilities can be cultivated and honed through focus, discipline, and practice.
Whether you’re a seasoned leader or a student of strategy, The Strategy Dialogues can serve as your one-stop-shop for understanding, applying, and mastering strategic thinking to propel your career or organization to the next level.
“A masterclass in how to think and act strategically in book form.”
‒ Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, Author of A History
“Masterfully breaks down the fundamentals of what strategy is and how to use it to make your company and life more effective and meaningful.”
‒ Arthur C. Brooks, Harvard Professor and #1 New York Times bestselling author
“A fun and enlightening way to learn about strategic management!”
‒Professor Sarah E. Nutter, former Dean of the Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon, and former Dean of the
School of Business at George Mason University
“The Strategy Dialogues will empower you to navigate the complexities of the modern business world.”
‒Chris Nassetta, President and CEO of Hilton
“John Hillen makes understanding strategy fun and accessible.”
‒Lieutenant General H. R. McMaster, PhD, Former US National Security Advisor
“A brilliant combination of wisdom, practicality, and storytelling!”
‒Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
About the author
The Honorable Dr John Hillen is a highly accomplished CEO of several companies, Board Chairman, former US Assistant Secretary of State, and an award-winning professor who has taught at Duke University, George Mason University, and Hampden-Sydney College.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2025
52 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 25, 2025
“The Strategy Dialogues: A Primer on Business Strategy and Strategic Management” by John Hillen is a masterclass in strategic thinking, distilled into an accessible and engaging format. Through a series of imagined conversations between a seasoned executive and an inquisitive mentee, Hillen brilliantly demystifies the core principles of strategy without sacrificing depth. The dialogue format makes complex frameworks feel natural and conversational, allowing readers to absorb key concepts like competitive advantage, positioning, and strategic leadership in a refreshingly human way.
What sets this book apart is its practicality. Hillen doesn’t just explain what strategy is, he shows how it comes alive in the real world, in boardrooms and brainstorms, with all the nuance and messiness that entails. Whether you're a student of business or a seasoned executive looking to sharpen your edge, The Strategy Dialogues offers timeless insights with clarity, wit, and wisdom. It’s a must-read for anyone serious about making better strategic decisions in a rapidly evolving world.
What sets this book apart is its practicality. Hillen doesn’t just explain what strategy is, he shows how it comes alive in the real world, in boardrooms and brainstorms, with all the nuance and messiness that entails. Whether you're a student of business or a seasoned executive looking to sharpen your edge, The Strategy Dialogues offers timeless insights with clarity, wit, and wisdom. It’s a must-read for anyone serious about making better strategic decisions in a rapidly evolving world.
January 31, 2025
When your job is not just about performance within a system, but also how to change and lead a system -- Superb exploration of business strategy and how it is different from normal business decision-making. A useful handbook for anyone on the rise in the business world.
May 22, 2025
This will be a good handbook as I develop the strategy for my business.
December 31, 2025
Most strategy books mistake answers for thinking. The Strategy Dialogues does the opposite.
John Hillen presents strategy not as a plan, a framework, or a deck—but as a disciplined conversation about the future. Drawing on the Socratic tradition, he uses invented dialogues to show how real strategic understanding emerges: through questioning, tension, and synthesis rather than formulas.
One of the book’s most important contributions is its insistence that strategy is about positioning for future advantage, not optimizing the present. Goals are not strategies. Metrics are not strategies. Efficiency is not strategy. Strategy is a coherent set of choices that say where you will play, how you will win, and what you will not do.
Hillen is also refreshingly honest about ambiguity. Strategy is not engineering. There is rarely a single right answer—only better or worse judgments made under uncertainty. This makes the book especially valuable for leaders who feel uncomfortable with the false precision of traditional strategic planning.
I was struck by Hillen’s emphasis on dialogue as a leadership discipline. A clear strategy, he writes, should “act like a boss when the boss is not around.” That only happens when people understand the reasoning behind the choices, not just the conclusions.
This is a four-star book because it teaches how to think strategically, not what to think. It respects complexity without drowning in it, and it reminds leaders that shaping the future is their most important responsibility. Strategy, here, is not a document—it’s a way of seeing.
We did a show on this book on The Soul of Enterprise, here: https://www.thesoulofenterprise.com/t...
John Hillen presents strategy not as a plan, a framework, or a deck—but as a disciplined conversation about the future. Drawing on the Socratic tradition, he uses invented dialogues to show how real strategic understanding emerges: through questioning, tension, and synthesis rather than formulas.
One of the book’s most important contributions is its insistence that strategy is about positioning for future advantage, not optimizing the present. Goals are not strategies. Metrics are not strategies. Efficiency is not strategy. Strategy is a coherent set of choices that say where you will play, how you will win, and what you will not do.
Hillen is also refreshingly honest about ambiguity. Strategy is not engineering. There is rarely a single right answer—only better or worse judgments made under uncertainty. This makes the book especially valuable for leaders who feel uncomfortable with the false precision of traditional strategic planning.
I was struck by Hillen’s emphasis on dialogue as a leadership discipline. A clear strategy, he writes, should “act like a boss when the boss is not around.” That only happens when people understand the reasoning behind the choices, not just the conclusions.
This is a four-star book because it teaches how to think strategically, not what to think. It respects complexity without drowning in it, and it reminds leaders that shaping the future is their most important responsibility. Strategy, here, is not a document—it’s a way of seeing.
We did a show on this book on The Soul of Enterprise, here: https://www.thesoulofenterprise.com/t...
August 3, 2025
Superb overview of business strategy, told in a lively conversational fashion.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews