Winning the Long Game: How Strategic Leaders Shape the Future

by Steven Krupp, Paul JH Schoemaker

Are you winning the battle but losing the war?

Every leader has to deliver the goods -- make budget, meet deadlines, and deftly manage people -- to provide the inspirational fuel that keeps their business running day-in and day-out.

But therein lies the danger of winning today's battle and losing the war -- that is the long game of creating sustainable value in a volatile, uncertain world that is becoming ever-more complex and ambiguous.

The number one business challenge -- is winning the long game by being more strategic; developing the skills to look outside the four walls of the organization and see the world from the future back.

Steven Krupp and Paul J. H. Schoemaker bridge the gap between what many see as the separate domains of strategy and leadership to show how to develop the discipline of strategic leadership in a world of growing uncertainty.

Pragmatic to the core, Winning the Long Game creates vivid insights into the discipline of strategic leadership by applying it systemically through personal portraits of successful business leaders. The book profiles Elon Musk, Richard Branson, and Sara Blakely, as well as world-renowned figures like Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey, and Nelson Mandela. What makes these strategic leaders successful is highlighted by contrasting them with others who are either mediocre or outright failures.

Winning the Long Game is the must-have playbook for every leader and for any manager seeking to be become more strategic in today's topsy-turvy world.

Genres: Leadership

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 2014

Reviews

[Rodrigo Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful Framework

Six leadership characteristics are outlined through the book, highlighted by specific examples done by some world known leaders.

I liked the context outlined in the examples, clear enough to illustrate each and everyone of the characteristics, some leaders clearly shined in some aspect and given the specific situation, it helps to understand how they were able to make a great contribution.

[Ken Hamner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth reading.

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winning the Long Game is a presentation of Krupp and Shoemaker’s model for Strategic Leadership. The premise of their thesis is the most successful of strategic leaders are consistent in their knowledge and application of six disciplines: Anticipate, Challenge, Interpret, Decide, Align and Learn. Those who are adept in the practice of all six disciplines are better prepared to shape and execute their strategy in an environment of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

A chapter is dedicated to each one of the six disciplines. Each discipline is explored further and bolstered by a case study of real-world leaders & enterprises (e.g. Elon Musk of Telsa, Pope Francis, Sara Blakely, Whole Foods) who embody the spirit of that particular skill. Also included are action plans and best practices on how to reach higher levels of proficiency in each area. The final chapter is dedicated to two visionary leaders who at some level possess all the necessary skills but one masters the art of strategic leadership and the other’s short-sightedness leads to poor execution.

[Jeffrey Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winning the Long Game provides concepts and lessons in strategic leadership that can be applied to disciplines beyond the business world. I found them relevant to my interest in education and crisis response. The illustrations of actual events and personalities are insightful and instructive, making for an enjoyable reading and learning experience. I found especially useful the practical exercises that personalize the reader's experience and help develop perceptive, sensitive, and skillful leadership. This is a timely, clear, and powerful book which I highly recommend.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a lot of good ideas out of this book, but didn't think it was great as a whole.