- ISBN13: 9781929774821
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
The inability to set good strategy can sink a company – and a leader’s career. A recent “Wall Street Journal” study revealed that the number one most sought after executive skill by organisations is strategic thinking, but few leaders have that skill set. In this book, Rich Horwath dissects the three most important elements of strategic thinking, breaks them down into simple and attainable skills, and shows readers how to apply them every day. He provides managers w… More >>
Deep Dive: The Proven Method for Building Strategy, Focusing Your Resources, and Taking Smart Action
Tags: action, Building, Deep, deep dive, Dive, elements, Focusing, horwath, Method, organisations, Proven, remainder mark, Resources, Smart, smart action, strategic thinking, Strategy, Taking, wall street, wall street journal
#1 by Stephen P. Zagata on April 12, 2010 - 10:21 pm
Formulating your strategy is key to creating a solid blueprint for your success. So, why didn’t I grasp that fact sooner? Well, my excuse is that Rich Horwath’s book “Deep Dive”, was only recently published. I found myself saying, “Yeah, that makes sense?” and “Oh, I see” quite a bit.
Instead of being underwhelmed by statistics and dry facts, I was taken on a treasure dive that revealed the wonders and possibilities that abound in the business world.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by Kimberly Lewis on April 13, 2010 - 12:56 am
If you have ever wondered what strategy is and is NOT, and how to gain and KEEP a competitive edge in your marketplace, this is the book for you. Horwath sheds light on commonly made mistakes by managers and provides guidelines on how you can avoid falling into these pitfalls.
Deep Dive addresses real-life challenges faced by managers and reasons why their organizations may fail to progress. For instance, Horwath discusses the necessity of taking risks. Too often managers like to play it safe and choose not to act due to fear of failure. However, the true failure lies in doing nothing at all.
Deep dive is a well-written, practical guide to operating successfully in today’s constantly changing environment. Whether you are new to the concept of strategic thinking or an expert in the field, Deep Dive has tools and critical “pearls” for everyone.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Dan Feliciano on April 13, 2010 - 1:32 am
I picked this book up in the airport on my way to Hawaii it was so good I read it on the plane and once again while vacationing. You should see the book now, its flagged, highlighted and earmarked with countless notes in the margins. Yes, this is the kind of books I read to relax.
I strongly believe that most businesses and people do not have a strong “Strategy” acumen. I constantly struggle with teaching businesses and people how to think, and more importantly act, strategically.
Rich’s book does a superior job of defining strategy, strategic thinking, and the behaviors of strategic businesses and people. Come on people… face it, you’re not nearly as strategic as you think you are.
Rich’s 3 discipline approach, 1. Acumen, 2. Allocation, 3. Action is a simple but comprehensive approach to developing and deploying strategy that is relevant, practical and pragmatic. Too often, books like this are so technical that they are neither practical nor pragmatic.
Each of the disciplines, has explanations and exercises to do as you build your strategy. Once again, I have to emphasize the explanations and exercises are practical and pragmatic. With a little effort, you can easily do the exercises yourself.
I really like how each chapter of the book ends with a bulleted summary called “Pearls of Insight”, or how I like to refer it as (Perils of lack of Insight”, highlighting the chapters key points.
I also found the book to be cheeky and funny. I really, really enjoy Rich’s writing style. Some of the strategy books, or most more accurately, read like text books… not this one.
Buy it, enjoy it.. apply it.
Dan Feliciano
Dan@DanFeliciano.com
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by Rob Carr on April 13, 2010 - 2:28 am
In many corporate cultures strategic thinking is perceived as being exclusively the role of upper management, and implemented in a tops – down manner. One of the most important points in this book, is that if all managers – at all levels – are not thinking strategically, then the entire organization is at risk. Although this may sound obvious, as a 15 year veteran of corporate America I can personally attest to the fact that most managers below the C – level are either too overwhelmed or too linear to really think strategically. Pick up this book to get some great ideas on how to channel your inner strategist.
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by Marcus Cadell on April 13, 2010 - 5:22 am
Having worked with management in different industries in various parts of the country it has become apartent to me that strategic thinking occurs significantly less than I first thought. Business leaders over the past couple of years seem to be very short term thinkers. While times were good it was easy to cover up bad decisions but now that revenues are down it is very obvious that their acumen was overestimated. I was some what surprread in Rich Horwath’s book that 85% of executive leadership spends less than an hour a month discussing strategy, what are they doing the rest of the month? I believe all leaders can use further development in the strategic thinking arena to keep their skills sharp and to enhance their companies performance. Rich Horwath offers in his latest book, “Deep Dive”, a plunge into waters of business creativity, and the unseen jewels that reside beneath the surface.
Complacency has caused more damage in corporate America than foreign competition. New strategies and ways of thinking are how we can turn things around. During an economic downturn, when all of your instinct tells you to hold onto your business model at all costs, this is the precise moment when new strategies are needed the most. What “Deep Dive” does is to identify how to maximize the productivity of a brain storming sessions and eliminate any unnecessary risk when implementing a new strategy.
Several great strategic thinking concepts and methods are introduced in “Deep Dive” and are summarized at the end of each chapter. These examples given through out the book can be utilized across any organization in any functional area. Tools such as the OODA Loop and Contextual Radar methods reveal the context in which particular ideas need to flourish. Rich drives home the fundamentals of his program, stating and restating his three central strategic points, `Acumen, Allocation, Action’, which form the outline of his chapters.
Rich Horwath has created a wonderful compilation of methods for businesses that make strategic thinking more clear in this complex global marketplace we live in. He provides a complete list of references given where readers can find further information on the particular methods that suit them or their company best. What “Deep Dive” provides is a sense of focus on the importance of constantly shifting the way a business rides the rough and tumble waters of our economic reality.
“Deep Dive” is about being objective and not just following the school of fish swimming along the surface. Leaders looking to delve down below the surface and open their eyes to see what is going on around them will be justly rewarded.
Rating: 5 / 5