This is Strategy

Introduction

This is a bit of a strange book. This is the fifth book by Seth Godin that I have reviewed, and they tend to not fit in a neat mold. This one is essentially made up of 297 different short lessons or observations which make up the book. Each lesson is between a few sentences and a few pages in length. Some are essentially just sayings while others are proper lessons and experiences the author has learned through his time as a professional "business thinker."

In general I liked the book, but the book's structure made it hard to decide how to write this review.

I should note that this book isn't for the already accomplished strategist. I think it's more for the aspiring builder or starter. The author says it is "for anyone wanting to make things better." This is more to help someone with some decision authority to think more strategically vs. providing a rigorous strategy framework or methodology. For anyone looking for a great primer on a proper strategy framework, this video by Roger L. Martin is my favorite. When you're ready to measure and verify your strategic progress, Measure What Matters is a solid choice.

Favorites

As I can't really write a summary of all the parts, or even my favorites, I'll just pick three that were memorable to me.

#90 - Tension First and Above All

This lesson touches on tension in a strategy to help change to happen. The book mentions how early Gmail adopters created tension by emailing their friends with the @gmail.com address and it made the non-adopters feel tension (Fear of Missing Out / FOMO in this case).

Essentially, he's driving home the point that strategy requires change, and change requires tension. I love this sentence:

We're not here to "do our job." We're here to make a change happen.

This tension, paradox, and friction reminds me of a recent review where I pulled together a lot of these concepts across various books ¹.

#109 - "The Urgency of No"

In this lesson the author lays out some concepts around how a strategy is not just saying what you could do, but clearly taking a stance on what you aren't going to do. It turns out I've heard this before...

When our software factory team was still young I was asked to put together a strategy for the team. I remember arguing at length with William Belcher about how our strategy should include clear guidance on what we were "not" going to pursue. I disagreed at the time, and I think I still do, but the decision is being made regardless. The key, I think, is that I'm not disagreeing on the idea, only that we shouldn't actually write down all the things we're deciding against.

The author makes it clear that:

• We will turn away some customers
• We will avoid some opportunities
• We will focus on one thing at the expense of another

#197 - May I See the Org Chart?

In this lesson Seth Godin talks about one time when he was meeting with a Vice President at IBM while he was an outside vendor. Their discussions were going well and she (the VP) wanted what he was selling. She eventually grabbed a pen and started drawing an org chart, but it wasn't like the actual company org chart. It was the secret org chart that included who actually had power, authority, decision rights, and the ability to make an impact on the decision. She was showing the decision-making org chart that no outsider would be able to find without help.

This feels very true and honest. Every big enterprise I've been a part of has had one of these secret org charts that internal people have to learn to navigate. Effectively navigating this landscape internally requires a strategy to make any progress. That strategy will determine how far you go and if the organization will support or resist your goals.

Wrap-Up

As I said at the top, I liked the book and found it useful. I feel like the lessons will need to marinate a bit before fully sinking in. I also think I should wait a couple years and try to read it again to see how the lessons hit me differently a few years further in my career. It is a relatively short read, and I fully recommend it.