What do you think?
Rate this book
How to be Strategic
FT BUSINESS BOOK OF THE MONTH
Being strategic is a critical skill. It enables you to solve problems on a day-to-day basis while also keeping an eye on the long term, anticipating opportunities and mitigating threats along the way.
Fred Pelard has been teaching strategic thinking to executives at all levels at leading companies around the world for almost 20 years. How to Be Strategic is his accessible and thorough guide to strategic thinking in any situation. It contains 12 smartly illustrated, workable methodologies from leading experts like Eric Ries, Chan Kim, and Barbara Minto, and will help you find your own path to the right solution every time.
Being strategic is a critical skill. It enables you to solve problems on a day-to-day basis while also keeping an eye on the long term, anticipating opportunities and mitigating threats along the way.
Fred Pelard has been teaching strategic thinking to executives at all levels at leading companies around the world for almost 20 years. How to Be Strategic is his accessible and thorough guide to strategic thinking in any situation. It contains 12 smartly illustrated, workable methodologies from leading experts like Eric Ries, Chan Kim, and Barbara Minto, and will help you find your own path to the right solution every time.
272 pages, Paperback
Published October 8, 2020
40 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 18, 2020
This book provides a good overview and introduction to the most important tools, methods, concepts etc. within strategy, and business strategy in particular. And with enough detail on each to be useful.
It's too easy to overload new employees with reading material, so it's good to have a single book that delves into moderate detail on each of the top 10 areas of strategy development, rather than waste time on outdated or less relevant topics, or excessive detail or examples.
While I would also recommend many people to read The Pyramid Principle, Learn Start-up etc. it's a better starting point for most people to get a larger overview, and moderate detail, with a book like this.
It's too easy to overload new employees with reading material, so it's good to have a single book that delves into moderate detail on each of the top 10 areas of strategy development, rather than waste time on outdated or less relevant topics, or excessive detail or examples.
While I would also recommend many people to read The Pyramid Principle, Learn Start-up etc. it's a better starting point for most people to get a larger overview, and moderate detail, with a book like this.
March 22, 2021
3 things I particularly admire about Fred Pelard's book, How To Be Strategic:
1. It's about thinking strategically in the real world of tight deadlines and opinionated stakeholders
2. It's full of practical tools for running better brainstorming workshops - anyone who regularly stands at a flipchart or Miro Board facilitating group discussions needs these in their locker (eg "Mutation Game" in Chapter 4)
3. It's a reminder that there is never a single "right" approach to any business problem - by trying out alternatives to the approaches we instinctively prefer, we keep improving (eg "10 Ways to Convince" on pp181-185)
1. It's about thinking strategically in the real world of tight deadlines and opinionated stakeholders
2. It's full of practical tools for running better brainstorming workshops - anyone who regularly stands at a flipchart or Miro Board facilitating group discussions needs these in their locker (eg "Mutation Game" in Chapter 4)
3. It's a reminder that there is never a single "right" approach to any business problem - by trying out alternatives to the approaches we instinctively prefer, we keep improving (eg "10 Ways to Convince" on pp181-185)
June 20, 2022
Whereas one of the best books on strategy principles for me is "Good Strategy, Bad Strategy" then this one covers a different angle on a more individual level, providing a toolkit for structuring your strategic thinking process. The book also explains what being strategic means (the term is too often misused).
"Superior strategic thinking skills boil down to two things: a specific mindset (to tackle the uncertainty of the future, where all strategic issues reside) and a wide toolset (to craft credible solutions out of very little actual data)." Strategic = Creative + Analytical. Being strategic is a mindset, not a toolset.
The book contains 5 parts:
1. How to solve complex problems (think)
2. How to generate great ideas quickly (up) (what would need to be true for this to work?)
*craft logic trees
*borrow from business theories
*using counter-intuitive thinking techniques
3. How to eliminate options in no time (down)
*employing qualitative techniques to pit all ideas against one another and build ranking
*quantitative techniques to offer numerically derived validation
*construct real-life tests (Lean Startup example brought)
4. How to get the best solution approved (push)
*harnessing impactful words (NLP)
*collating some simple numbers
*crafting a compelling story
5. How to keep improving as a strategic thinker (again)
The hallmark of a successful executive, enterpreneur or freelancer is the ability to be more strategic than one's peers or competitors.
Four different ways to take the journey from complexity to conviction (problem solving), each with his pros and cons in specific situation:
*The Staircase of Expert Execution - we actually don't realize we are solving a problem, path followed by any expert.
*The Submarine of Analytical Research - where you can't really see what the answer might look like, for people who believe they need the facts first (no data - no solution).
*The Helicopter of Creative Discovery - you can't really work out the answer right from the beginning, data is going to be sparse and unreliable. Quickly generating many creative options, without much data, to rapidly reach clarity for all stakeholders.
*The Rollercoaster of Strategic Thinking, when the following constraints apply:
1) no clear answer at the beginning (staircase won't work)
2) very little data available throughout (submarine won't work)
3) stakeholders insist on data at the end (helicopter alone not enough)
A truly strategic issue manifests the following characteristics:
*the problem is big
*it lies in the future
*it's never been done before
*there will likely be very little data
*the best answer is not just a matter of taste
*it will require proof to convince many stakeholders
10 ways to convince people:
Reason, Ask, Authority, Force, Expertise, Inspire, Silent Allies, Feel Good, Deal, Favor
How many of those are you using in your daily work and could you benefit from those that you are currently not using so much?
Kaplan-Norton scorecard dimension:
*Financial perspective
*Customer perspective
*Business process perspective
*Learning and growth perspective
Using the pyramid structure at the end of projects:
1) Structure your ideas in pyramid form
2) Present your ideas from the top down
3) Have your ideas in the pyramid obey three sub-rules
*Ideas at each level are summaries of the ideas grouped below
*Ideas in each group are part of an inductive or deductive argument
*Ideas in each group are in logical order
4)Make sure the vertical relationships work
5) Make sure the horizontal relationships work
"Superior strategic thinking skills boil down to two things: a specific mindset (to tackle the uncertainty of the future, where all strategic issues reside) and a wide toolset (to craft credible solutions out of very little actual data)." Strategic = Creative + Analytical. Being strategic is a mindset, not a toolset.
The book contains 5 parts:
1. How to solve complex problems (think)
2. How to generate great ideas quickly (up) (what would need to be true for this to work?)
*craft logic trees
*borrow from business theories
*using counter-intuitive thinking techniques
3. How to eliminate options in no time (down)
*employing qualitative techniques to pit all ideas against one another and build ranking
*quantitative techniques to offer numerically derived validation
*construct real-life tests (Lean Startup example brought)
4. How to get the best solution approved (push)
*harnessing impactful words (NLP)
*collating some simple numbers
*crafting a compelling story
5. How to keep improving as a strategic thinker (again)
The hallmark of a successful executive, enterpreneur or freelancer is the ability to be more strategic than one's peers or competitors.
Four different ways to take the journey from complexity to conviction (problem solving), each with his pros and cons in specific situation:
*The Staircase of Expert Execution - we actually don't realize we are solving a problem, path followed by any expert.
*The Submarine of Analytical Research - where you can't really see what the answer might look like, for people who believe they need the facts first (no data - no solution).
*The Helicopter of Creative Discovery - you can't really work out the answer right from the beginning, data is going to be sparse and unreliable. Quickly generating many creative options, without much data, to rapidly reach clarity for all stakeholders.
*The Rollercoaster of Strategic Thinking, when the following constraints apply:
1) no clear answer at the beginning (staircase won't work)
2) very little data available throughout (submarine won't work)
3) stakeholders insist on data at the end (helicopter alone not enough)
A truly strategic issue manifests the following characteristics:
*the problem is big
*it lies in the future
*it's never been done before
*there will likely be very little data
*the best answer is not just a matter of taste
*it will require proof to convince many stakeholders
10 ways to convince people:
Reason, Ask, Authority, Force, Expertise, Inspire, Silent Allies, Feel Good, Deal, Favor
How many of those are you using in your daily work and could you benefit from those that you are currently not using so much?
Kaplan-Norton scorecard dimension:
*Financial perspective
*Customer perspective
*Business process perspective
*Learning and growth perspective
Using the pyramid structure at the end of projects:
1) Structure your ideas in pyramid form
2) Present your ideas from the top down
3) Have your ideas in the pyramid obey three sub-rules
*Ideas at each level are summaries of the ideas grouped below
*Ideas in each group are part of an inductive or deductive argument
*Ideas in each group are in logical order
4)Make sure the vertical relationships work
5) Make sure the horizontal relationships work
March 14, 2021
Best book I ever read on strategy. Connecting different techniques together in an overarching framework of strategic thinking. When Pelard introduce the roller coaster concept I literally smiled.
February 27, 2022
Very practical book about strategic thinking, mainly applied to business.
The book explains a lot of models you can use in your day-to-day when dealing with complex strategic decisions. It is very hands-on and will change your thinking as of day one.
The book is always close to my desk and I consult is often.
Thanks Fred for writing this nice compendium of the world of strategy.
The book explains a lot of models you can use in your day-to-day when dealing with complex strategic decisions. It is very hands-on and will change your thinking as of day one.
The book is always close to my desk and I consult is often.
Thanks Fred for writing this nice compendium of the world of strategy.
April 14, 2021
Grab a lounge chair and enjoy a few hours understanding the difficult aspects of strategy in a straightforward, comprehensive way. Simple and intuitive explanations connecting real world stories in a friendly language. Plenty of easilly understandable models and approches. Brilliant.
February 18, 2023
I listened to the audiobook which took away a bit from the book and what it aims to teach. Definitely one I will go back to at some point, but I will search for a physical copy instead. I took a couple of great points I will try out in my work life.
April 12, 2021
A must read for anyone in mgt who has any strategic element to their role !
April 16, 2021
This book is inspiring and I got interesting strategic-thinking hints to be applied in my daily working environment
April 30, 2021
A couple of useful insights and tools, but mostly statement of the obvious as with most business books
August 7, 2021
Slightly new information but still a useful book as it brings best thinking exercises together into one digest.
October 15, 2023
Very strong and useful start, then it drags on going into too much detail for me.
August 8, 2025
I agree with the reviews. First half was excited. The last bits were ehh. Too detailed
January 2, 2023
A handful of interesting frameworks to help structure strategic thinking.
They do all seem to rely on you already having the capacity to think strategically, as a framework is only as good as what you put in it, and so these are more ways of organising and testing that thinking rather than actually developing the fundamentals.
Nevertheless, they’re interesting provocations.
They include methods for:
Arriving at a conclusion: Expert Staircase, Researcher Submarine, Creative Helicopter, Strategic Rollercoaster
Generating ideas: Pyramid, Happy Line, Mutation
Assessing ideas: Payoff Profiles (approach:shape/adapt/test vs risk:no regrets/option/big bet), Landscaping supply/demand vs macro/micro (market/mekko, industry/GPS, Customer/Funnel, Company/Profitability), Prototyping/Testing
Selling ideas: persuasive sensory words; memorable numbers concerning finances, customer, process, and growth alongside Net Present Value; tell pyramid-shaped stories with ad-land confidence.
And a final call to use post-it notes, so allow those ideas and that thinking to remain flexible.
They do all seem to rely on you already having the capacity to think strategically, as a framework is only as good as what you put in it, and so these are more ways of organising and testing that thinking rather than actually developing the fundamentals.
Nevertheless, they’re interesting provocations.
They include methods for:
Arriving at a conclusion: Expert Staircase, Researcher Submarine, Creative Helicopter, Strategic Rollercoaster
Generating ideas: Pyramid, Happy Line, Mutation
Assessing ideas: Payoff Profiles (approach:shape/adapt/test vs risk:no regrets/option/big bet), Landscaping supply/demand vs macro/micro (market/mekko, industry/GPS, Customer/Funnel, Company/Profitability), Prototyping/Testing
Selling ideas: persuasive sensory words; memorable numbers concerning finances, customer, process, and growth alongside Net Present Value; tell pyramid-shaped stories with ad-land confidence.
And a final call to use post-it notes, so allow those ideas and that thinking to remain flexible.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews