Today, we are joined by Rich Horwath.

Rich Horwath is the founder and CEO of the Strategic Thinking Institute where he facilitates strategic thinking workshops for executive leadership teams to help them set strategic direction, create competitive advantage, and maximize their leadership performance.

He is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of eight books on strategic thinking, including his newest book: STRATEGIC: The Skill to Set Direction, Create Advantage, and Achieve Executive Excellence and the first ever graphic novel on strategic thinking entitled, StrategyMan vs. The Anti-Strategy Squad. Rich is also the author of the popular Harvard Business Review article, "How to Become a Better Strategic Thinker," and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX TV.

He's been rated the #1 keynote speaker on strategic thinking at company and association events, including the SHRM National Strategy Conference. Rich is the creator of the proprietary Strategic Quotient (SQ) Assessment and host of the Strategic Minds podcast. Over the past 20 years, he has helped more than one million leaders around the world develop their strategic thinking and planning capabilities in pursuit of his vision to teach the world to be strategic.

Rich’s Website :https://www.strategyskills.com/

In this episode, we explore why leaders often fail due to a lack of focus, the importance of making strategic trade-offs, and how to create and sustain competitive advantage.

Through exercises like target practice and the contextual radar, we discuss ways to sharpen core competencies and make informed trade-offs that align with business strategy.

The episode features insights on non-traditional competitors, situational awareness, and the common pitfalls in leadership.

The discussion also includes practical tools and techniques to enhance preparation, simplify strategic planning, and move beyond operational effectiveness.

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Website and live online programs: http://ims-online.com

Blog: https://blog.ims-online.com/

Podcast: https://ims-online.com/podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesagood/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/charlesgood99

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:29) Technique: Target Practice for Clarity

(03:21) Tip: Making Strategic Trade-Offs

(06:54) Tip: Competitive Advantage

(09:46) Technique: Differentiation

(16:42) Tip: Situational Awareness and Preparation

(26:51) Tip: Lessons from John Wooden

(29:28) Conclusion

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit charlesgood.substack.com

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