Storm Rider: Becoming a Strategic Thinker

by Rich Horwath

Book Overview

"Strategic thinking is not the lighthouse in a storm. It’s the storm—dynamic, dangerous and all-powerful." Strategic thinking can catapult you from the safe, mundane and fatal world of doing the same... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: 0974711403
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Sculptura Consulting, Inc.
• Length: 141 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Another good guide/resource to be added to your Strategic Thinking Bookshelf!

I wish to reiterate: In the marketplace, there isn't much good books written from the personal strategic thinking standpoint. I can only recall one really good one, & that is, 'Choosing the Future: The Power of Strategic Thinking' by Stuart Wells. This particular one by the founder of the Scuptura Consulting firm is one I have recently come across (as it comes quite close enough). After perusing it, I find it to be a good guide/resource, which any interested reader can add to their Strategic Thinking Bookshelf. Most strategic thinking books focus on corporate planning, but this particular one brings the concept & philosophy of strategic thinking down to the individual tactical level. According to the author, "Strategy is as much about what you choose not to do as it is about what you do." Interesting. He goes on to share many of his innovative tools, including the proprietary StrategySphere System. I particularly like the tools for creating differentiation. However, he provides only a generally broad framework of the tools. I guess it is a gentle & subtle way for the author to sell his consulting/software services. I also like the author's contextual metaphor of modelling a sculpture. He also has quite a catchy phrase: Strategic Thinking is not the lighthouse in a storm. It's the storm - dynamic, dangerous & all-powerful. Hence, the tools & other ideas in the book have been designed to enable the reader to increase his/her ability to develop & leverage strategy to become a storm rider! Unlike most strategic thinking books, the author doesn't waste time dwelling into the historical perspectives. In a nutshell, these are the chapters: - Strategic Thinking; - Strategy Defined; - Discovering Purpose; - Creating Differentiation; - Decision Making; - Problem Solving; - Sculpting Strategy; - Storm Rider Frankly & comparatively speaking, I would rank 'Choosing the Future: The Power of Strategic Thinking' by Stuart Wells as well as 'Ahead of the Curve: A Guide to Applied Strategic Thinking' by Steven Stowell & Stephanie Mead with a higher rating. I therefore would like to give a rating of 4 for this book, although from the strategic thinking standpoint, it deserves a rating of 5.

Worth the price of admission.....

A colleague recommended this book to me. It's takes a unique look at how business strategy is formulated and implemented. After reading this book, it became perfectly clear to me that my company, along with many others, say they have an overall strategy, but really do not. It's an easy read that doesn't take an academic approach or view of stategic thinking and can be applied to almost any industry. I would highly recommend, especially to those of you in a sales or marketing function. I guarantee you'll come away with the same thoughts that I did; Building our strategic plan is something we need to spend more time on.