The New Makers of Modern Strategy

The New Makers of Modern Strategy — Why I Recommend It

Running a business is a daily strategy test: limited resources, shifting markets, stubborn competitors, and imperfect information. The New Makers of Modern Strategy is a tour of how leaders—from ancient statesmen to today’s commanders and policy architects—design and execute strategy when the stakes are high. It’s not theory for theory’s sake. It’s a toolbox for making better choices about ends, ways, and means—exactly what owners and executives do every week.

What It’s Really About

This book collects clear, hard-earned lessons from centuries of conflict and competition, then reframes them for the modern world. You’ll see why strategy is ultimately about alignment: matching clear objectives with realistic methods and the resources to get it done. It tackles big themes—grand strategy, uncertainty, technology shifts, alliances, culture, morale, deception, and the grind of execution—without losing the thread that matters most to a leader: turning intent into outcomes.

Why This Matters to Business Owners

• Strategy is choice under constraint. You can do anything, but not everything—pick a lane and resource it.

• Friction is real. Plans meet people, processes, and reality. Good strategy anticipates resistance and builds in buffers.

• Power needs legitimacy. Inside your company, authority works best when it’s trusted and clearly explained.

• Technology changes tactics, not purpose. Tools evolve; the need for focus, discipline, and decisive leadership does not.

• Allies multiply strength. Smart partnerships beat going it alone—if you structure incentives and trust the metrics.

12 Practical Takeaways You Can Use Monday Morning

1. Define the decisive point. What one win this quarter would make other wins easier? Prioritize there.

2. State your ends, ways, means. In one page: Goal → Approach → Resources → Risks. If it doesn’t fit, it’s not focused.

3. Name your center of gravity. What, if protected, keeps your business strong (cash engine, key account, ops leader)? Guard it.

4. Exploit asymmetry. Don’t match competitors where they’re strongest. Compete where you’re uniquely hard to copy.

5. Win intelligence, then decisions. Build a simple market “intel loop”: customer signals → weekly readout → action.

6. Create optionality. Keep a reserve—cash, time, or capacity—to exploit surprises or absorb shocks.

7. Wage the campaign, not the battle. Sequence moves over 90–180 days; stop chasing one-off wins that don’t ladder up.

8. Logistics is strategy. Lead times, hiring pipeline, vendor reliability—treat them like revenue multipliers, not back office.

9. Shape the narrative. Your team fights harder when they know the why. Repeat it until you’re bored—then repeat it again.

10. Red-team your plan. Assign someone to break your assumptions before the market does. Fix the weak points now.

11. Measure momentum, not motion. Pick five leading indicators that predict results, review weekly, and cut vanity metrics.

12. Close the loop. After-action reviews: what was the plan, what happened, why, and what changes Monday at 9 a.m.?

Field Notes for Leaders

• Clarity scales. Vague strategy breeds random execution. Sharp choices travel faster through the org.

• Tempo beats perfection. Short planning cycles with fast feedback will outperform slow, fancy decks.

• Morale is math. Confidence reduces friction and increases throughput—invest in it deliberately.

• All strategy is implemented by humans. If your plan ignores bandwidth, incentives, and trust, it’s a hope, not a strategy.

Who Should Read This

• Owners preparing a 12–18 month growth push

• COOs/CFOs who translate strategy into people, process, and cash flow

• Sales and product leaders aligning roadmaps to actual advantage

• Boards and advisors seeking sharper oversight questions

A Line I Keep Coming Back To

“Strategy is choosing what to win at—and accepting the cost of not chasing everything else.”

How to Read It (Quick Plan)

• Pass 1: Skim the table of contents and pick 5–6 chapters that map to your current challenges (alliances, tech shifts, deception, logistics, etc.).

• Pass 2: For each chapter, capture three bullets: one insight, one risk to watch, one decision to make.

• Pass 3 (one hour): Build a one-page Campaign Plan for the next 90 days: decisive point, sequencing, resource shifts, and metrics.

A Simple 90-Day Campaign Plan (Template)

• Decisive Point:

• Ends / Ways / Means:

• Sequenced Moves (Weeks 1–12):

• Reserves & Optionality: cash/time/capacity buffer

• Allies/Partners: where to multiply strength

• Risk Log: top 5 assumptions + triggers

• Dashboard: 5 leading indicators reviewed weekly

• After-Action Rhythm: 30-minute review every Friday

Final Word

The New Makers of Modern Strategy reminds leaders that strategy isn’t a binder—it’s a living set of choices you make under pressure. Read it to sharpen your judgment, tighten your plans, and align your team around what you will win at next.