How to Outthink, Outmaneuver, and Outperform Your Competitors: Lessons from the Masters of Strategy

299 Pages·2016·5.782 MB·English

by  Paley, Norton

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Business & Management / Lean Methods & Implementation / Leadership Strategy How to Outthink,
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Supplying you with a firm grasp of the roots of strategy, How to Outthink, Outmaneuver, y
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how to develop the skills and strategies needed to compete in today’s volatile marketplace. H
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It interweaves the classic works of the masters of strategy, such as Sun Tzu, Carl von o
Clausewitz, Mao Tse-tung, Niccolo Machiavelli, Frederick the Great, Napoleon, and other w
renowned strategists.
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and have survived meticulous analysis by scholars. Applied to current competitive business
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as preventing competitors from disrupting your overall growth plans, protecting yourself
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Whether you operate as a multinational firm maneuvering for position in a global arena, O
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or a regional business fighting an everyday battle for survival, the foundational principles
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provided can reinforce your understanding and practice of strategy. The book defines the m
historical origins of strategy and supplies timeless insight into how successful leaders have a Lessons from the
implemented comprehensive strategy plans. It also explains how to n
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• Maneuver out of risky competitive situations and into renewed market opportunities u
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• Establish a defensible position in a hotly contested market e
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• Align competitive strategies with your organization’s culture n
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• Personalize a leadership style to maximize performance from your staff

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The book includes three special features:
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competitiveness before committing valuable resources. r
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2. Appraising Internal and External Conditions—A comprehensive checklist to
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3. Strategy Action Plan—A tested format that includes step-by-step guidelines for
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The lessons gleaned from military history and strategy can be indispensable in the

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everyday management of your people and resources. By tapping into the universal logic
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and historic lessons of strategy, you will fortify your ability to think like a master strategist
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outmaneuver, and outperform your competition.
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How to Outthink,
Outmaneuver,
and Outperform
Your Competitors
Lessons from the
Masters of Strategy

How to Outthink,
Outmaneuver,
and Outperform
Your Competitors
Lessons from the
Masters of Strategy
Norton Paley
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2013 by Norton Paley
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
No claim to original U.S. Government works
Version Date: 20130321
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4665-6541-8 (eBook - PDF)
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To the next generation:
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© 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................xiii
About the Author. ............................................................................ xxvii
Chapter 1 Apply Strength against Weakness:
Maneuver by Indirect Strategy ..........................................1
Maneuver by Indirect Strategy ..................................................2
Developing an Indirect Strategy................................................4
Define Your Strategic Goals ..................................................5
What Are Your Organization’s Distinctive
Strengths or Areas of Expertise?......................................6
What Business Should Your Organization
Be in over the Next Three to Five Years? ........................6
What Segments or Categories of Customers Will
Your Company Serve? .......................................................7
What Additional Functions Are You Likely to
Fulfill for Customers as You See the Market Evolve? .....7
What New Technologies Will Your Firm Require
to Satisfy Future Customer Needs? .................................8
What Changes Are Taking Place in Markets,
Consumer Behavior, Competition, Environment,
and the Economy That Are Likely to Impact Your
Company? ...........................................................................8
Determine the Resources Needed to Achieve Your Goal ...10
Gather Competitive Intelligence ........................................13
Establish Security .................................................................16
Implement the Strategy ........................................................18
Develop a Post Strategy .......................................................20
Summarizing ..............................................................................21
Chapter 2 Improve Chances for Securing a Competitive Lead:
Act with Speed ..................................................................23
Obstacles to Speed ....................................................................28
Lack of Reliable Market Intelligence .................................30
© 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC vii
viii  •  Contents
Mediocre Leadership Stifles Timely and Significant
Progress ..................................................................................31
A Manager’s Low Self-Esteem and Indecisiveness as
Deep-Rooted Personality Traits .........................................32
Lack of Courage to Go on the Offensive,
Triggered by the Manager’s Innate Fear of Failure ..........32
Managers’ Lack of Confidence in Their Employees’
Discipline, Capabilities, and Skills .....................................33
No Trust by Employees in Their Managers’ Abilities
to Make Correct Decisions .................................................34
Inadequate Support from Senior Management ................35
Disagreement and Open Confrontations among Line
Managers about Objectives, Priorities, and Strategies .....35
A Highly Conservative and Plodding Corporate
Culture Places a Drag on Speed ..........................................36
Lack of Urgency in Developing New Products to
Deal with Short Product Life cycles ...................................36
Organizational Layers, Long Chains of Command,
and Cumbersome Committees Prolong
Deliberation and Foster Procrastination ...........................37
Aggressive Competitors Can Cause Fear among
Employees, Damage Morale, and Result in Lost
Momentum ............................................................................38
Discipline ..........................................................................39
Training .............................................................................39
Leadership .........................................................................39
Communications .............................................................39
Culture ..............................................................................40
Complacency or Arrogance as a Prevailing Cultural
Mind-set ................................................................................40
Speed in a Twenty-First-Century Global Setting ..................41
Summarizing .............................................................................42
Chapter 3 Secure a Competitive Advantage:
Concentrate at a Decisive Point ......................................45
Defining a Decisive Point or Segment ....................................51
Identify a Decisive Point in a Market Segment .....................55
Classic Techniques for Selecting a Market Segment ...........56
© 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC