What's Next! with Tiffani Bova Making Better Strategic Choices with Roger Martin
Jan 22, 2026
Roger Martin, a renowned strategy theorist and author of 'Playing to Win,' shares his insights on redefining strategy. He argues that true strategy is an integrated set of choices that drive customer behavior, emphasizing that many companies confuse planning with actual strategy. Martin explains the importance of influencing customer actions and discusses common pitfalls that lead to disappointing results. He also highlights the significance of choices working in harmony, laying the groundwork for a more effective, choice-driven approach to winning.
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Strategy Equals Choice That Drives Customers
- Strategy is an integrated set of choices that compels desired customer action.
- The real art is making choices that change what customers do, because you cannot force them to buy.
Common Strategy Mistake: Initiative Lists
- Most organizations mistake strategy for a laundry list of initiatives generated by functional leaders.
- That approach creates gaps between hoped-for outcomes and actual customer behavior.
Diagnose Outcomes By Tracing Choices
- Stop treating unhappy results as mere facts and instead ask which choices produced them.
- Embark on a deliberate process to make better, more integrated choices that close the gap.
