The CEO's Strategy Handbook

Book excerpt: There are many books on strategy, but very few focus on helping CEOs fulfill their role in leading strategy in their organization. The CEO's Strategy Handbook will give CEOs and senior executives provocative insights and pragmatic advice to setting strategy, leading the strategy process, and turning winning strategies into great results. The term strategy has, with the help of consultants and academics, developed a mystique that makes it sound difficult, complicated and only for people with an IQ greater than 150. Stuart Cross smashes through this misconception, showing CEOs that this critical element in improving the performance of their business is a straightforward--and even enjoyable--process that they can feel confident in mastering. The fundamentals to great strategy and effective implementation remain the same. Setting a clear direction, rigorously identifying and pursuing opportunities where the organization has competitive advantages, combined with an ability to make trade-offs, focus on priorities, communicate the bigger picture and drive accountabilities are the ways in which the CEO can make a strategy come to life and deliver dramatic and sustainable success. This book shows CEOs how they can make this happen in their own organization. It includes case studies, self-tests, interviews with leading CEOs, charts, frameworks and action plans to bring the ideas alive for the readers.