Strategic Thinking 20workbook Excerpt.pdf
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©
Th
e S
tra
tegy
Lea
rnin
g C
ente
r, 2
008
The
Se
ven
Ba
rrie
rs t
o S
tra
tegi
c T
hink
ing
WO
RK
BO
OK
EX
CE
RP
T
Janu
ary
2007
©
Th
e S
tra
tegy
Lea
rnin
g C
ente
r, 2
008
CO
NT
EN
TS
A
BO
UT
TH
E S
TR
AT
EG
Y L
EA
RN
ING
CE
NT
ER
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1
ST
RA
TE
GIC
TH
INK
ING
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... 2
TH
E S
EV
EN
BA
RR
IER
S T
O S
TR
AT
EG
IC T
HIN
KIN
G ..
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. 4
Ba
rrie
r 1:
Ask
ing
the
wro
ng q
uest
ion
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. 4
Ba
rrie
r 2:
Ove
rloo
king
the
crit
ical
issu
e ..
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... 5
Ba
rrie
r 3:
Jum
ping
to
the
obvi
ous
ans
we
r ..
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. 5
Ba
rrie
r 4:
Re
sist
ing
ma
king
hyp
othe
ses
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. 5
Ba
rrie
r 5:
Fa
iling
to a
nsw
er th
e “f
ive
why
s” ..
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. 6
Ba
rrie
r 6:
Con
vinc
ing
the
wro
ng p
ers
on ..
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... 6
Ba
rrie
r 7:
Te
lling
an
unm
em
ora
ble
stor
y ..
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.. 7
PR
OB
LEM
-SO
LVIN
G (
BA
RR
IER
S 1
-5)
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Err
or!
Boo
kmar
k no
t de
fine
d.
Ba
rrie
r 1:
Ask
ing
the
wro
ng q
uest
ion
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..
Err
or!
Boo
kmar
k no
t de
fine
d.
To
sum
mit
or n
ot?
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...
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... E
rror
! B
ookm
ark
not
defi
ned.
The
Ulti
mat
e Q
uest
ion
....
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....
....
...
... E
rror
! B
ookm
ark
not
defi
ned.
Ba
rrie
r 2:
Ove
rloo
king
cri
tica
l iss
ues
....
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...
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Err
or!
Boo
kmar
k no
t de
fine
d.
Use
mut
ually
exc
lusi
ve,
colle
ctiv
ely
exh
aust
ive
logi
c...
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..
Err
or!
Boo
kmar
k no
t de
fine
d.
Piv
ota
l iss
ues
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.. Err
or!
Boo
kmar
k no
t de
fine
d.
ME
CE
Exe
rcis
es ..
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...
....
... E
rror
! B
ookm
ark
not
defi
ned.
INF
LUE
NC
E (
BA
RR
IER
S 6
& 7
) ..
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...
. Err
or!
Boo
kmar
k no
t de
fine
d.
Ba
rrie
r 6:
Con
vinc
ing
the
wro
ng p
ers
on ..
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....
....
....
E
rror
! B
ookm
ark
not
defi
ned.
The
pow
er
base
....
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....
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....
....
...
....
... E
rror
! B
ookm
ark
not
defi
ned.
The
tra
cks
of a
“fo
x” ..
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...
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Err
or!
Boo
kmar
k no
t de
fine
d.
Ma
ppin
g th
e in
flue
nce
ne
twor
k ..
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...
Err
or!
Boo
kmar
k no
t de
fine
d.
Ba
rrie
r 7:
Te
lling
an
unm
em
ora
ble
stor
y ..
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....
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....
....
....
....
....
....
....
....
...
Err
or!
Boo
kmar
k no
t de
fine
d.
The
influ
enc
e fo
rmul
a ..
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...
.. E
rror
! B
ookm
ark
not
defi
ned.
Pre
senc
e ..
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...
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....
... E
rror
! B
ookm
ark
not
defi
ned.
Ra
ppor
t/ in
tima
cy ..
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...
....
. Err
or!
Boo
kmar
k no
t de
fine
d.
Ve
rsa
tility
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... E
rror
! B
ookm
ark
not
defi
ned.
RE
CO
MM
EN
DE
D R
EA
DIN
G ..
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....
....
. E
rror
! B
ookm
ark
not
defi
ned.
1 ©
Th
e S
tra
tegy
Lea
rnin
g C
ente
r, 2
008
AB
OU
T T
HE
ST
RA
TE
GY
LE
AR
NIN
G C
EN
TE
R
Sta
ndin
g at
the
inte
rsec
tion
of e
xecu
tive
educ
atio
n an
d s
trat
egy
cons
ulti
ng,
the
Str
ateg
y Le
arni
ng C
ent
er fa
cilit
ates
and
gu
ide
s cl
ient
s th
roug
h th
e pr
oce
ss o
f des
igni
ng b
old
yet
ac
tiona
ble
stra
tegi
es.
O
ur d
ual m
issi
on
is t
o he
lp o
ur c
lie
nts
secu
re c
om
pet
itive
ad
vant
age
as w
e si
mu
ltane
ous
ly t
rans
form
tac
ticia
ns in
to s
trat
egis
ts.
We
belie
ve s
trat
egic
thi
nkin
g fu
els
co
mp
etiti
ve a
dva
nta
ge.
Giv
en
mar
ket
unce
rtai
ntie
s an
d th
e gr
ow
ing
com
ple
xity
of c
om
petit
ion,
eve
ryo
ne in
yo
ur o
rgan
izat
ion
sho
uld
be
com
e a
stra
tegi
st.
W
e co
ach
our
clie
nts
thro
ugh
the
rea
l wo
rk o
f tac
klin
g a
mea
ning
ful s
trat
egic
cha
lleng
e.
Dur
ing
this
pro
cess
, tw
o tr
ansf
orm
atio
ns t
ake
pla
ce.
Yo
ur s
trat
egy
beco
me
s a
mea
ns fo
r yo
ur o
rgan
izat
ion
to b
reak
aw
ay
fro
m t
he p
ack.
And
yo
ur p
eopl
e b
eco
me
stra
tegi
sts,
ca
pabl
e o
f be
atin
g th
e co
mpe
titio
n at
eve
ry t
urn.
T
wo
adva
ntag
es s
et o
ur e
xecu
tive
educ
atio
n pr
ogr
am
s ap
art
fro
m o
ther
s. F
irst,
pa
rtic
ipa
nts
wa
lk a
wa
y no
t ju
st w
ith a
ctio
nabl
e sk
ills
and
kno
wle
dge,
but
with
a c
lear
, co
here
nt s
trat
egic
pla
n: a
rea
l-wo
rld b
usi
ness
so
lutio
n t
o a
pre
ssin
g bu
sine
ss c
halle
nge,
w
hich
the
y ca
n im
med
iate
ly im
ple
me
nt.
The
sec
ond
ad
vant
age
has
to d
o w
ith a
ke
y ch
alle
nge
of s
kill
bu
ildin
g: t
rans
latin
g cl
ass
roo
m le
arni
ng in
to r
eal-w
orld
app
licat
ion.
B
ecau
se
our
clie
nts
grap
ple
with
rea
l-w
orld
str
ateg
ic c
halle
nge
s du
ring
our
pro
gram
s, p
art
icip
ant
s ar
e no
t ju
st e
quip
ped
with
o
ur m
etho
dolo
gy;
by
the
time
our
pro
gram
s ar
e fin
ishe
d, t
he
y ha
ve b
eco
me
exp
erie
nced
st
rate
gist
s. E
ach
part
icip
ant
em
erge
s fr
om
the
pro
cess
a s
tro
nger
, m
ore
ver
satil
e as
set
to
the
orga
niza
tion.
T
his
tran
sfo
rmat
ion
pro
duce
s a
form
ida
ble
com
petit
ive
adva
ntag
e, in
an
d o
f its
elf.
We
loo
k fo
rwar
d to
wo
rkin
g w
ith y
ou.
T
he S
trat
egy
Lear
ning
Ce
nter
tea
m
2 ©
Th
e S
tra
tegy
Lea
rnin
g C
ente
r, 2
008
ST
RA
TE
GIC
TH
INK
ING
“T
here
’s m
ore
imp
ort
an
ce t
od
ay
on
str
ate
gy,
on
pic
kin
g b
usi
ness
es,
th
an
eve
r b
efo
re …
In
th
e e
nvi
ron
men
t w
e’re in
, g
oo
d e
xecu
tion
an
d go
od
op
era
tion
s a
ren
’t en
ou
gh
to
fix
a
bu
sin
ess
with
a f
law
ed
str
ate
gy.
So
yo
u n
eed
to
spen
d t
ime u
nd
ers
tan
din
g w
ha
t b
usi
ness
es
you
th
ink
are
go
ing
to
wo
rk,
wh
at
bu
sin
ess
mo
dels
se
em
to
ma
ke s
en
se.
Str
ate
gy
is m
ore
imp
ort
an
t th
an
eve
r b
efo
re.”
•
Jeff
Imm
elt,
CE
O,
GE
, 200
4 T
he a
bilit
y to
thi
nk s
trat
egic
ally
is t
he fu
nda
me
nta
l so
urce
or
com
petit
ive
adva
ntag
e.
Eve
ry w
inn
ing
stra
tegy
beg
ins
first
with
the
min
d o
f a p
ers
on
or g
roup
and
pro
paga
tes
into
a s
et o
f win
ning
ru
les
that
set
s its
co
mpa
ny a
par
t f
rom
the
co
mpe
titio
n.
Our
res
earc
h an
d th
at o
f nu
mer
ous
oth
ers,
ha
ve e
stab
lishe
d a
clea
r m
eas
ura
ble
link
betw
een
a co
mpa
ny’s
peo
ple
– t
heir
leve
l of e
ngag
em
ent
in
the
com
pany
, th
eir
abi
lity
to
thin
k st
rate
gica
lly,
and
the
ir a
bilit
y to
bu
ild b
uy-
in for th
eir
stra
tegy
– a
nd a
co
mpa
ny’s
pe
rfo
rma
nce.
Our
stu
dy o
f lo
ng-t
erm
co
mp
etiti
vene
ss,
for
exa
mp
le,
esta
blis
hed
that
co
mpa
nie
s th
at e
ngag
e e
mp
loye
es
will
gro
w 5
0% fa
ster
tha
n th
eir
com
petit
ion
ove
r a
deca
de.i
As
busi
ness
mo
del l
ifetim
es s
hrin
k, c
om
pani
es
fra
gm
ent
, i
ndus
try
boun
dari
es
blur
, an
d va
lue
cont
inue
s sh
iftin
g fr
om
tan
gib
le a
ctiv
itie
s an
d pr
odu
cts
tow
ard
inta
ngib
les
(e.g
., fr
om
ma
nufa
ctur
ing
to d
esig
n),
a co
mpa
ny’s
abi
lity
to c
om
pete
incr
easi
ngly
dep
end
s o
n ho
w w
ell
it ca
n ex
trac
t th
e na
tura
l str
ateg
ic h
ors
epo
wer
of i
ts p
eopl
e.
An
add
itio
nal s
hift
is h
eig
hten
ing
the
impo
rtan
ce o
f ind
ivid
ual s
trat
egic
co
ntrib
utio
n. W
e ar
e w
itnes
sing
a s
hift
acro
ss m
any
sec
tors
in t
he n
atu
re o
f co
mp
etiti
on.
Str
ateg
ic
deci
sio
n-m
akin
g is
mo
ving
fro
m t
he c
entr
al “
hom
e o
ffice
” to
war
d th
e fr
ont
-line
. M
any
of
the
fast
est
gro
win
g, m
ost
pro
fitab
le c
om
pani
es
of t
he d
ecad
e –
fro
m W
hole
Fo
ods
and
W
ethe
rspo
on
PLC
to In
fosy
s T
echn
olo
gie
s an
d C
isco
Sys
tem
s –
are
basi
ng t
heir
com
petit
ive
adva
ntag
es o
n m
akin
g a
set
of d
ecis
ions
tha
t m
ove
crit
ica
l str
ateg
ic d
ecis
ions
in
to t
he h
and
s o
f fro
nt-li
ne e
mp
loye
es.
3 ©
Th
e S
tra
tegy
Lea
rnin
g C
ente
r, 2
008
If th
e a
bilit
y to
thi
nk s
trat
egic
ally
is g
row
ing
into
a c
riti
cal s
our
ce o
f co
mpe
titiv
e ad
vant
age,
the
n w
hat
does
it t
ake
to t
hink
str
ateg
ica
lly?
T
here
are
thr
ee s
peci
fic p
ersp
ect
ives
tha
t re
sear
ch h
as
sho
wn
are
impo
rtan
t to
unl
ock
ing
the
pow
er o
f str
ateg
ic t
hink
ing.ii T
here
is f
irst
your
“m
ind
set,
” sp
ecifi
cally
whe
ther
yo
u vi
ew y
our
self
as
a st
rate
gic
thin
ker,
or
as p
art
of t
he
solu
tion.
Tak
ing
this
vie
wpo
int
ma
y be
cha
lleng
ing
beca
use
bein
g pa
rt o
f the
so
lutio
n al
so im
pl
ies
mu
st b
e pa
rt o
f the
pro
ble
m
as w
ell.
Sec
ond
, ha
ving
cho
sen
to b
e pa
rt o
f the
sol
utio
n/p
robl
em
, yo
u m
ust
then
ha
ve t
he
skill
s to
dev
ise
a go
od
solu
tion.
Thi
s e
ntai
ls le
arni
ng t
ools
to
he
lp y
ou
impr
ove
yo
ur
crea
tivity
and
abi
lity
to p
robl
em
-so
lve.
Fin
ally
, ha
ving
de
vise
d a
solu
tion
you
mu
st b
e ab
le t
o co
nvin
ce o
ther
s to
bu
y in
to y
our
so
lutio
n. T
his
invo
lve
s se
curi
ng o
ppo
rtun
ities
to
ex
pand
yo
ur in
flue
nce.
W
hen
all
thre
e ar
e in
pla
ce,
whe
n yo
ur m
ind-
set,
pro
ble
m-s
olv
ing
abi
lity,
and
influ
enc
e ar
e w
orki
ng t
ow
ard
help
ing
you
find
opp
ort
uniti
es,
gen
erat
e so
lut
ions
, an
d se
ll th
em
e
ffect
ive
ly,
you
set
your
self
on
the
path
to b
eco
min
g a
rec
ogn
ized
str
ateg
ic c
ont
ribut
or.
Y
ou
trig
ger
a vi
rtuo
us c
ycle
tha
t bu
ilds
pow
er a
nd in
flue
nce.
4 ©
Th
e S
tra
tegy
Lea
rnin
g C
ente
r, 2
008
TH
E S
EV
EN
BA
RR
IER
S T
O S
TR
AT
EG
IC T
HIN
KIN
G
Whi
le a
lmo
st a
ll o
f us
are
born
with
the
ingr
edie
nts
nee
ded
to
be s
trat
egis
ts,
few
of u
s pr
actic
e o
r de
velo
p o
ur s
trat
egic
thi
nkin
g sk
ills.
Cla
sse
s a
nd c
our
ses
tend
to
focu
s o
n in
dust
ry o
r ro
le-s
pec
ific
lear
ning
. B
ut s
trat
egic
thi
nkin
g is
a
foun
datio
n th
at c
an a
pply
in
any
indu
stry
or
role
. Y
ou
can
eve
n ap
pro
ach
day-
to-d
ay t
asks
, lik
e go
ing
to t
he g
roce
ry
sto
re, s
trat
egic
ally
.
In w
ork
ing
with
exe
cutiv
es
acro
ss in
dust
ries
and
co
ntin
ent
s to
bu
ild t
heir
stra
tegi
c th
inki
ng s
kills
, w
e ha
ve fo
und
mo
st p
eopl
e st
rugg
le w
ith s
ev
en
barr
iers
to
effe
ctiv
e st
rate
gic
thin
king
.
1.
Ask
ing
the
wro
ng q
uest
ion
2.
Ove
rloo
king
the
crit
ica
l iss
ue
3.
Jum
pin
g to
the
obv
ious
ans
wer
4.
R
esis
ting
mak
ing
hypo
thes
es
5.
Fa
iling
to
ans
wer
the
“fiv
e w
hys”
6.
C
onv
inci
ng t
he w
rong
per
son
7.
Te
lling
an
unm
em
ora
ble
sto
ry
Afte
r w
e br
iefly
co
ver
wha
t ea
ch o
f the
se b
arri
ers
mea
n, t
his
ma
nua
l will
div
e de
eper
into
a
few
of t
he a
reas
we
will
be
cove
ring
in y
our
pro
gra
m.
B
arrie
r 1:
Ask
ing
the
wro
ng q
uest
ion
It is
no
t un
com
mo
n fo
r so
meo
ne t
o in
vest
co
nsid
erab
le e
ffo
rt a
nd t
ime
– st
ayin
g la
te in
th
e o
ffice
, co
min
g in
on
wee
kend
s –
to w
ork
on
an id
ea o
nly
to fi
nd o
ut la
ter
that
the
idea
is
so
met
hing
the
ir bo
ss o
r co
mp
any
do
es n
ot
care
abo
ut.
By
und
erst
and
ing
wha
t yo
u co
mpa
ny c
ares
abo
ut a
nd s
eeki
ng o
ppo
rtun
ities
, id
eas,
so
lutio
ns t
hat
alig
n w
ith w
hat
is
impo
rtan
t yo
u ca
n ha
ve a
gre
ater
impa
ct w
ith le
ss e
ffort
. T
o as
k th
e rig
ht q
uest
ion,
wha
t w
e ca
ll th
e “u
ltim
ate
que
stio
n,”
requ
ires
you
to t
ake
the
“to
p m
ana
gem
ent
per
spec
tive:
” to
reg
ular
ly c
om
e up
to y
our
bo
ss’ b
oss
’ bo
ss’ v
iew
poin
t
5 ©
Th
e S
tra
tegy
Lea
rnin
g C
ente
r, 2
008
and
asse
s w
hat
is im
port
ant t
o t
he c
om
pa
ny.
The
re a
re
seve
ral t
ools
and
pra
ctic
es t
o h
elp
yo
u do
thi
s.
Bar
rier
2: O
verlo
okin
g th
e cr
itica
l iss
ue
Whe
n yo
u g
ive
a ba
by a
ha
mm
er,
ever
ythi
ng lo
oks
like
a n
ai
l. S
imila
rly
we
all
tend
to
focu
s o
n th
e e
lem
ent
s o
f the
pro
ble
m a
bout
whi
ch w
e ar
e fa
mili
ar.
If pr
ofit
s ar
e do
wn,
for
exa
mp
le,
mar
kete
rs t
end
to fo
cus
on
the
mar
ketin
g c
ause
s (
e.g.
, mar
ketin
g sp
end
e
ffect
ive
ness
) w
hile
ope
ratio
ns p
eopl
e m
ight
focu
s o
n lo
gis
tica
l iss
ues
(e.g
., in
abi
lity
to
fill o
rder
s qu
ickl
y e
noug
h).
The
y m
ight
bo
th o
verl
ook
the
rea
l roo
t ca
use
(e.g
., th
e fin
anc
e de
part
me
nt n
eeds
to
spe
ed u
p ac
coun
ts r
ece
iva
ble
col
lect
ions
).
If yo
u ar
e ab
le t
o s
pot
issu
es o
utsi
de o
f yo
ur a
rea
of e
xpe
rtis
e an
d do
so
mo
re q
uick
ly,
you
can
sig
nific
ant
ly e
nha
nce
your
str
ateg
ic t
hink
ing
skill
s. B
y fo
cusi
ng o
n “p
ivo
tal
issu
es”
and
usin
g a
“mut
ually
exc
lusi
ve,
colle
ctiv
ely
exh
aust
ive
” lo
gic
, yo
u ca
n av
oid
fa
lling
into
yo
ur b
lind
spo
ts a
nd m
ore
rap
idly
ide
ntify
what m
atte
rs.
Bar
rier
3: J
umpi
ng to
the
obvi
ous
answ
er
If yo
u st
udy
hist
ory
’s m
ost
suc
cess
ful m
ilita
ry s
trat
egi
sts
you
will
see
tha
t o
ne t
hing
the
y sh
ared
in c
om
mo
n is
an
abi
lity
to s
ee a
str
ateg
ic o
ptio
n t
heir
adve
rsar
ies
mis
sed.
Few
of
us s
hare
thi
s in
nate
abi
lity
but
we
can
all
lear
n ho
w to
sim
ula
te it
. The
ke
y is
to
aba
ndo
n lo
gic
, at
leas
t te
mpo
raril
y, a
nd in
stea
d us
e “p
atte
rns”
tha
t he
lp u
s se
e “f
our
opt
ions
.”
Bar
rier
4: R
esis
ting
mak
ing
hypo
thes
es
Effe
ctiv
e st
rate
gic
thin
kers
ten
d to
spe
nd m
ore
tim
e d
iscu
ssin
g po
ssib
le s
olu
tions
tha
n th
ey
do d
iscu
ssin
g pr
obl
em
s. W
hile
mo
re n
ovi
ce s
trat
egis
ts w
ill
hold
co
nver
satio
ns
will
ed w
ith c
om
me
nts
like
“wha
t is
wro
ng w
ith o
ur s
hipp
ing
time,
” ex
peri
enc
ed
stra
tegi
sts
mo
ve m
ore
qui
ckly
to
com
me
nts
like
“ma
ybe
we
sho
uld
out
sour
ce s
hipp
ing.
”
The
re a
re t
wo
reas
ons
for
this
. F
irst,
str
ateg
ists
are
abl
e to
mo
re q
uick
ly d
iag
nose
the
pr
obl
em
’s r
oots
(se
e “B
arri
er 2
” ab
ove
). S
eco
ndly
, th
ey
fee
l mo
re c
om
fort
able
shi
ftin
g
6 ©
Th
e S
tra
tegy
Lea
rnin
g C
ente
r, 2
008
the
stra
tegi
c d
ialo
gue
tow
ard
hypo
thes
es
earl
y. T
his
does
not
mea
n th
at t
hey
arri
ve a
t th
e rig
ht s
olu
tion
mo
re q
uic
kly
but
rath
er t
hat t
hey
will
ing
to
sha
re a
nd d
ebat
e po
ssib
le
solu
tions
eve
n if
the
y ar
e no
t ye
t co
nfid
ent
the
so
luti
ons
are
goo
d o
nes.
B
y st
ruct
urin
g th
eir
deba
te a
nd a
naly
sis
aro
und
hypo
thes
es r
athe
r th
an is
sue
s th
ey
deri
ve
fina
l ans
wer
s fa
r m
ore
qu
ickl
y th
an
tho
se w
ho w
ork
with
is
sues
and
que
stio
ns.
By
follo
win
g th
e sa
me
“mut
ually
exc
lusi
ve,
colle
ctiv
ely
exhau
stiv
e” p
rinc
iple
intr
odu
ced
in
“Bar
rier
2 ab
ove
, th
ey
als
o a
void
the
tra
p o
f pro
ving
a fa
lse
hypo
thes
is.
Yo
u ca
n fin
d a
nd
ma
nipu
late
dat
a to
pro
ve a
ny h
ypo
thes
is.
Fo
r ex
am
ple
the
re
is p
lent
y o
f dat
a to
sup
port
th
e hy
poth
esis
tha
t th
e w
orld
is f
lat.
But
“m
utua
lly e
xclu
sive
, co
llect
ive
ly e
xhau
stiv
e”
log
ic h
elp
s pr
eve
nt y
ou
fro
m p
rovi
ng fa
lse
hoo
ds.
Bar
rier
5: F
ailin
g to
ans
wer
the
“fiv
e w
hys”
T
here
is a
sa
ying
in t
he U
.S.
mili
tary
tha
t yo
u kn
ow
yo
u ar
e pr
epar
ed to
deb
rief y
our
su
perio
r w
hen
you
can
ans
wer
the
“se
ven
why
s.”
Thi
s m
ea
ns
that
yo
u ha
ve g
athe
red
suffi
cie
nt in
form
atio
n th
at y
our
sup
erio
r ca
n as
k yo
u w
hy s
eve
n tim
es,
eac
h tim
e dr
illin
g de
eper
into
yo
ur d
ata
pack
, and
yo
u w
ill h
ave
an
answ
er e
ach
time.
In
bu
sine
ss w
e ha
ve fo
und
five
why
s to
be
suffi
cie
nt.
By
stru
ctur
ing
your
ana
lysi
s in
an
ticip
atio
n o
f be
ing
aske
d “w
hy”
up t
o fiv
e le
vels
do
wn,
and
se
ekin
g o
ut fa
ct-b
ased
su
ppo
rt fo
r ea
ch n
ode
of y
our
ana
lysi
s tr
ee,
you
are
read
y fo
r al
mo
st a
ny in
quir
y.
Bar
rier
6: C
onvi
ncin
g th
e w
rong
per
son
Onc
e yo
u ha
ve y
our
ans
wer
sup
port
ed w
ith f
ive
leve
ls o
f dat
a (i.
e.,
you
are
read
y to
an
swer
the
five
why
s) y
ou
mus
t de
cide
who
to s
ell y
our
idea
to
. Thi
s de
cisi
on
can
be
criti
cal t
o y
our
idea
’s fa
te.
Man
y gr
eat,
wel
l-sup
port
ed i
dea
s ha
ve fa
iled
sim
ply
be
caus
e th
ey
wer
e so
ld t
o th
e w
rong
per
son.
B
y u
nder
stan
din
g th
e in
tere
sts
and
dyn
am
ics
betw
een
key
stak
eho
lder
s in
yo
ur
org
aniz
atio
n –
who
mig
ht r
esis
t yo
ur id
ea v
ersu
s w
ho w
oul
d su
ppo
rt it
– y
ou
can
mo
re
effe
ctiv
ely
gu
ide
your
idea
to
war
d re
aliz
atio
n. T
his
requ
ire
s a
naly
zing
inte
rna
l st
akeh
old
ers.
Whi
le m
any
peo
ple
se
em
bo
rn w
ith a
nat
ural
se
nsiti
vity
to
ma
nag
ing
insi
de
7 ©
Th
e S
tra
tegy
Lea
rnin
g C
ente
r, 2
008
an o
rgan
izat
ion,
a fe
w t
ools
and
ha
bits
ca
n si
gni
fican
tly e
nha
nce
your
abi
lity
in t
his
criti
cal a
rea.
B
arrie
r 7:
Tel
ling
an u
nmem
orab
le s
tory
H
avin
g w
ork
ed t
hro
ugh
your
po
litic
al s
trat
egy
and
ide
ntifi
ed
the
peo
ple
you
mu
st s
ell
your
idea
to
first
, yo
u ta
ke y
our
fact
-bas
ed,
pro
ven
idea
in h
and
and
try
to
sell
it. B
ut if
yo
u ca
nno
t w
rap
your
idea
in a
su
ffici
ent
ly c
om
pelli
ng s
tory
, yo
u w
ill n
ot
be a
ble
to
trig
ger
its a
dopt
ion.
It w
ill d
ie,
as t
oo m
any
go
od
idea
s do
, bec
ause
the
ir co
nce
iver
lack
ed
the
requ
ired
influ
enc
e.
As
with
oth
er b
arrie
rs,
your
abi
lity
to in
flue
nce
othe
rs
can
be e
nha
nced
with
too
ls a
nd
prac
tice.
Yo
ur e
xper
tise
and
per
sona
l re
latio
nshi
ps o
ffer
a go
od
star
ting
poin
t, b
ut y
ou
can
sig
nific
ant
ly im
pro
ve y
our
abi
lity
to in
flue
nce
othe
rs
by fo
cusi
ng o
n ot
her
piec
es o
f th
e “in
flue
nce
form
ula
.” H
ow
yo
u ho
ld y
our
self
whe
n yo
u w
alk
in a
ro
om
, ho
w y
ou
mo
del o
ther
s’ s
peak
ing
and
bo
dy
lang
uag
e, a
nd t
he s
ize
of
your
influ
enc
ing
repe
rto
ire
have
all
pro
ven
to h
ave
a su
rpri
sing
ly b
ig im
pact
on
the
ext
ent
to w
hich
peo
ple
list
en
to
you.
i See
“B
ein
g G
ood
is G
ood”
by
Ka
ihan
Kri
ppen
dorf
f, 20
08
ii For
mor
e ba
ckgr
ound
see
“S
tra
tegi
c T
hin
kin
g: W
hy,
Wh
at,
and
How
?” b
y C
hri
stop
he
Tor
set,
Un
iver
sité
P
ari
s D
aup
hin
e, J
uly
5-7,
200
1
