Strategy forms the foundation of all successful companies, but developing an effective strategy and successfully executing it is a challenge for many. HBR’s 10 Must Reads On Strategy brings together articles written by business thought leaders that focus on key issues related to all aspects of strategy. By reading these pieces, leaders will gain insight into how to deal with the different facets of setting strategies and making them a reality.
Throughout the ages, stories have brought societies together and helped their members create a shared sense of the world. In fact, storytelling strategist and creative expert Jonah Sachs believes that stories have become the only means of communication with the power to build enduring connections between consumers and brands—connections that inspire people to reach higher, live better, and dream bigger than ever before. In Winning the Story Wars, Sachs pinpoints the roots of this power and how companies can tap into it. He also exposes the weakness of conventional marketing messages focused on human inadequacy and deficiency, explaining why modern consumers are hungry for value-based stories that help them see the potential in humankind and in themselves.
Negotiations occur in every aspect of our lives. Often people view negotiations as win-lose situations. However, it does not have to be that way. In Negotiating Success, Jim Hornickel suggests that “mutuality” is an effective way of approaching negotiations with the ultimate goal of having both sides win. He outlines techniques that can be used to build rapport with negotiating partners and reach the best possible outcome.
Anyone who thinks skills, education, and experience should be enough to snag a coveted position needs to think again. In This Is How to Get Your Next Job, Andrea Kay informs readers that behavior, attitude, and appearing to be a “good fit” are what tip the scales when an employer selects a new hire. Kay believes job hunters who are having a hard time getting hired need to pay attention to how they “seem” as much as what they have to offer. By paying attention to the “dos and don’ts” of job hunting and presenting a “best self” that matches the wants, needs, and preferences of the employer, any candidate can gain the competitive edge and land his or her dream job.
What passes for good service is often simply ordinary service, with each customer treated exactly the same as the previous one. Customers receive little acknowledgement or appreciation as workers perform their tasks and move on to the next person in line. According to Steve Curtin in Delight Your Customers, this happens because organizations and their employees emphasize the mundane job functions of service work when they should instead be focusing on the true essence of the job: giving customers the best experience possible. By focusing on job essence, enterprises can empower employees to elevate overall customer service skills.
Project managers require more than knowledge to succeed at their tasks. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to recognize emotional cues are now essential tools for team leadership. In Emotional Intelligence for Project Managers, Anthony Mersino explains how emotional intelligence, the ability to recognize and understand emotions as well as employ them in the decision-making process, is a crucial asset in successful project management. Effective project managers (PMs) can use emotional intelligence to communicate clearly, set the tone and goals for their projects, engage and motivate team members, foster collaboration, and counter stress and discord. Without these interpersonal competencies PMs risk seeing even the best organized projects fail.
As Alan Gregerman explains in The Necessity of Strangers, strangers rarely figure into one’s thinking about business or personal success. However, the ability to engage, learn from, and collaborate with strangers who are very different is the real key to creating remarkable breakthroughs, growing enterprises, finding and delighting new customers, and making the most of life. Strangers are essential to greater success. They lead people to new ways of doing things, help bring out the very best in others, and influence others’ thinking about how they can grow their enterprises. The ability to engage the right strangers in the right ways can determine whether or not people ever reach their full potential.
