The Strategist: Be the Leader Your Business Needs

The Founder of Inspire Leadership & focuses on unlocking people’s potential by providing them with programs; mentorship and coaching into high performance

Book by Cynthia A. Montgomery

We are still in a period of uncertainty. The truth of the matter is that we do not know when we will be declared free of the COVID-19 menace. That said, this is the time leaders need to focus even more on the issues of strategy. It does not matter if you are running a multinational or an SME/Start-up, the strategy that you put in place now is what will make you resilient during these difficult moments. Once the strategy is in place, the next phase is the execution; please note that executing strategy is not a function that can be outsourced to experts, rather it is a leadership job, and a big one. As a leader, are you the strategist? 

To gain some insights into this phenomenon, I decide to get hold into “The Strategist- Be the Leader your Business Needs" by Cynthia Montgomery.  This book explains the strategy in business in a way that makes you understand the businesses driving forces that are often outside the control of management, it teaches you how to choose your playing field in business according to the analysis of those forces. The hints in the book will help you foresee the rise and falls of business because you can see inside the business processes and external forces.

Cynthia Montgomery is the Timken Professor of Business Administration and Director of Research at Harvard Business School where she has taught for close to thirty years. In the past, she had led the strategy courses in the School’s globally renowned EOP (Entrepreneur, Owner, President) Program which is attended by leaders of mid-sized companies from around the globe.

In “The Strategist” the examples and stories she has used are based largely on her interactions and experiences with seasoned executives, owners, CEOs, or COOs of privately held companies while teaching strategy at Harvard.

The book is very engaging and stimulating and the case studies presented will entice you to keep reading the book.  One of my biggest takeaway point from the book is that most leaders have forgotten that strategy is not a destination or a solution, it’s not a problem to be solved and settled. It's a journey and hence requires regular calibrations and adjustments. This is even more real at this time of crisis when we as managers need to go back to the drawing boards and come up with new strategies to help our businesses or organizations survive the storm.

One other value adds from the book is that Prof. Montgomery has added an excellent reading list of books that those who aspire to be strategists can embark on. She also provides reasons why each book is recommended, not forgetting the inclusion of a frequently asked question on strategy matters as part of the book. 

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