Roger Martin

AI strategy often forces a choice between protecting legacy revenue and following the 'tide' of customer preference.

"It is super hard when the guts of how you make money is under threat, and you just don't want that thing to go away... But my general advice is always the same, which is, it can take a while, but in t..."

Strategic differentiation often requires specialized onboarding and retention systems that differ significantly from industry norms.

"You have to have a different way of recruiting, a different way of onboarding, a different way of career development. And if you do all of those things, you end up with a 10% turnover rate, so that yo..."

Strategy should be viewed as a problem-solving tool focused on 'betterment'—closing the gap between current and desired outcomes—rather than seeking perfection.

"Betterment is making that gap go away. And guess what happens if you make that gap go away? You can turn your attention to the next gap, and the next gap, and the next gap."

Strategy is not just a plan, but a cohesive set of decisions designed to influence customer behavior in a specific direction.

"Strategy is an integrated set of choices that compels desired customer action."

A complete strategy requires answering five interconnected questions that link aspirations to execution.

"You have to have answers to five questions. What's your winning aspiration? Where to play? How can you win? What capabilities do you have to have that your competitors don't? And then, what enabling m..."

Sustainable competitive advantage is only possible through either cost leadership or a differentiated offering; anything else leaves a company vulnerable.

"You have to be either differentiated or low cost, there's no way to protect yourself if you're not one of those two."

The strongest strategies create such a unique set of capabilities and management systems that competitors find it too difficult or painful to follow.

"The ultimate way to compete to win is to never actually be forced to compete."