Strategic thinking is about analyzing different factors and variables to get the best results in the long term for a business, team or individual. It’s about minimizing the chances of failure by solving complex problems and ensuring the probability of success. Everyone in the corporate industry needs strategic thinking skills be it leaders or team members. So, read these books to improve your strategic thinking skills.
1. Good Strategy Bad Strategy by Richard P. Rumelt
Rumelt clearly shows why most people confuse goal setting with a complete strategy as he regards them two totally different things. Mere goal setting doesn’t reduce the chances of failure much, but a complete strategy does. Because a good strategy helps a company identify the core problems and create a roadmap to address them. Rumelt shows three components of a good strategy.
- Diagnosis: Identifying the challenges
- Choices: The directions the company will take to overcome the challenges
- Actions: Big actions that help the company move in the determined direction.
2. Learning to Think Strategically by Julia Sloan
The author of the book, Julia Sloan, shows a unique relationship between strategy thinking and the learning process involved. Simply, it shows you how to learn to think strategically when you don’t know anything about it.
She differentiates strategic thinking from strategic planning which helps you actually think strategically and then plan like it. With her five attributes for learning to think strategically, you will have the key to make strategic decisions in corporate settings.
3.Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works by A.G. Lafley And Roger L. Martin
The former CEO of P&G, A.G. Lafley, shows how he worked with Martin and the team to double the sales of the company and increase its revenue manyfold. The authors tell us the five choices you as a business leader must make to form a profitable and effectives business strategy.
Given their proven track record, the lessons and strategies laid out by the authors in this book are worth noting and following.
4.Thinking Strategically by Avinash K. Dixit, Barry J. Nalebuff
Game theory! We would name this book the essential guide on strategic behavior and game theory as it introduces and lays out game theory for someone who is just starting out. The book is an essential reading in business schools and was named in top ten books of the year by Financial Times. It gives case studies from business, sports, politics, history, literature and everyday life to help you learn decision making and strategic planning.
5.Strategy by B.H. Liddell Hart
How does a military thinker operate? Hart showed with this classic book on war to focus on movement, flexibility and surprise. How indirect approach helps you win wars (or compete with other companies and succeed). You can also apply this approach in your everyday dealings, workplace, and relationships. We think the books works best if you combine it with probably the best book on war strategy: The Art of War by Sun Tzu.