Synopses & Reviews
PRAISE FOR OUTTHINK THE COMPETITION"The nature of global business competition has been undergoing a radical change, and new ways of thinking and acting are required to become and stay effective in this newly defined environment. In Outthink the Competition, Kaihan outlines the specific changes underway and provides practical tools to help you adopt a new mindset to link your strategy to key financial indicators for better results. If you do not yet understand the strategic value of being good or how to wield the emerging power of coordination, read this book."
—ROBERT CANCALOSI, Chief Learning Officer, GE Healthcare
"While our bookshelves are now filled with advice on how to manage organizations, inspire employees, and connect with consumers in this new era, no one has talked convincingly about how to manage the competition . . . until now. Outthink the Competition shows how to adjust your strategy to the new realities of business in order to outplay, outwit, and outlast your competitors."
—SALOMON SREDNI, CEO, TradeStation Group
"In Outthink the Competition, Kaihan underscores the strategic power of being able to see, intelligently select, and pursue new options that your competition overlooks. This ability is the starting spark of all great growth stories and it is a critical skill for leaders to master. If you want to continue out-innovating the competition, take a closer look at the systematic process outlined in this book."
—DANIEL AMOS, CEO, AFLAC
"Companies rightfully spend an enormous amount of time and effort seeking to better understand our customers. But we often overlook a player with an equally important seat at the table: the competition. In Outthink the Competition Kaihan helps adjust for this imbalance. He provides practical methods to systematically analyze and intelligently manage the competition. This does not mean copying or even responding to the competition. It means precisely the opposite."
—MARC SPEICHERT, Chief Marketing Officer, L'Oreal USA
"Without a truly compelling and simple strategy that is able to thwart the competition, the next three–five years of execution is going to be a waste of time—or at least not as much fun! Kaihan provides an approach that will get the job done."
—VERNE HARNISH, CEO, Gazelles; author of Mastering the Rockefeller Habits
Synopsis
A Fast Company blogger and former McKinsey consultant profiles the next generation business strategists: the "Outthinkers""Outthinkers" are entrepreneurs and corporate leaders with a new playbook. They see opportunities others ignore, challenge dogma others accept as truth, rally resources others cannot influence, and unleash new strategies that disrupt their markets. Outthink the Competition proves that business competition is undergoing a fundamental paradigm shift and that during such revolutions, outthinkers beat traditionalists.
Outthink the Competition presents stories of breakthrough companies like Apple, Google, Vistaprint, and Rosetta Stone whose stunning performances defy traditional explanation and will inspire readers to outthink the competition. Core concepts in the book include:
- Discover the Eight Dimensions of Disruption
- Learn to play by the Outthinker Playbook
- Develop the Five Habits of the Outthinker
- Implement the Outthinker Process
It's time to buck tradition in order to stay ahead. Outthink the competition and uncover opportunities hiding in plain sight.
Synopsis
Forge unexpected pathways to win strategic advantageIn business, you can face disruption in one of two ways. Like most people—and most companies—you can fall back on tried-and-true rules. They've always worked in the past, and you hope they'll work for you again. Or, you can recognize that the game has changed, and look beyond your current playbook to create an entirely new strategic reality.
If you pick the second option, then you are ready to Outthink the Competition. Written by business strategist and popular Fast Company blogger Kaihan Krippendorff, this groundbreaking guide identifies and appeals to a new generation of "outthinker" entrepreneurs and business leaders. These innovators succeed in today's breakneck business environment by spotting overlooked opportunities, leveraging underutilized resources, and seizing asymmetric advantages.
Outthinkers beat their rivals not by being bigger or stronger, but by producing breakthroughs. Outthink the Competition gives you and your team a proven system to harness this strategic creativity, and presents stories of outthinker companies that are successfully reshaping their industries, including Apple, Google, Rosetta Stone, Tesla Motors, and many more. You'll discover how you can:
Understand the nature and potential of today's business revolution
Force your competition into two-front battles that give you the high ground
Develop the Five Habits of the Outthinker
Construct a true Outthinker culture
Apply the Outthinker Process for game-changing ideas
Incorporate systems thinking and cognitive science principles into your approach
And more!
If you want to win a strategic contest, don't let your opponents set the terms. Instead, Outthink the Competition and make the unexpected choices that will leave the competition disoriented and you moving ahead to master the next challenge.
About the Author
Kaihan Krippendorff is is a business strategist, author, and investor. A former consultant with McKinsey & Co., Kaihan works globally with ambitious large and medium-sized corporations, including Microsoft, L'Oreal, and Johnson & Johnson, teaching executives and entrepreneurs how to unleash their strategic creativity to raise their organization's performance. Kaihan also blogs for FastCompany.com, is an active public speaker, and is regularly featured in key business media outlets. His previous books include The Art of the Advantage, Hide a Dagger Behind A Smile, and The Way of Innovation. Learn more at www.kaihan.net.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
PART 1 THE FOUNDATION 1
Chapter 1 Evolution through Revolution 3
Chapter 2 Today’s Business Revolution 14
PART 2 THE NEW OUTTHINKER PLAYBOOK 29
Chapter 3 Move Early to the Next Battleground 35
Chapter 4 Coordinate the Uncoordinated 43
Chapter 5 Force Two-Front Battles 54
Chapter 6 Be Good 64
Chapter 7 Create Something Out of Nothing 75
PART 3 THE FIVE HABITS OF OUTTHINKERS 85
Chapter 8 Mental Time Travel 87
Chapter 9 Attacking the Interconnected System 94
Chapter 10 Frame Shifting 100
Chapter 11 A Disruptive Mind-Set 106
Chapter 12 Shaping Perceptions 118
PART 4 APPLY THE OUTTHINKER PROCESS 127
Chapter 13 Step 1: Imagine 131
Chapter 14 Step 2: Dissect 137
Chapter 15 Step 3: Expand 144
Chapter 16 Step 4: Analyze 149
Chapter 17 Step 5: Sell 155
PART 5 REBUILDING THE ORGANIZATION FROM WITHIN 161
Chapter 18 Phase 1: Establish Multiple Points of Differentiation 163
Chapter 19 Phase 2: Create Playbook Asymmetry 173
Chapter 20 Phase 3: Construct an Outthinker Culture 181
Appendix A The Research 193
Appendix B The 36 Stratagems 197
Appendix C Tools 211
Notes 217
Index 225