The Crux: How Leaders Become Strategists
- Downloads：7137
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-12-18 09:51:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Richard P. Rumelt
- ISBN：1788169514
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
A FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR
'A straight-talking guide to corporate strategy and how to frame and pursue it' Financial Times
The most important part of a leader's job is to set in motion the actions today that will build a better future tomorrow - in other words， strategy。 But how do leaders become strategists？
In this ground-breaking book， Richard Rumelt， the world's leading authority on strategy， shows how finding the crux of a challenge is the essence of the strategist's skill。 The crux is the key issue where action will best pay off， and Rumelt reveals how to pinpoint it so you can focus energy on what really matters。 Drawing on decades of professional and academic experience， and through vivid storytelling - from Elon Musk's decision-making to Netflix's journey - Rumelt illuminates how leaders can overcome obstacles， navigate uncertainty and determine the best path forward。
Strategy is not about setting financial targets， statements of desired outcomes， or performance goals， it is about finding the crux and taking decisive， coherent action。
'A straight-talking guide to corporate strategy and how to frame and pursue it' Financial Times
The most important part of a leader's job is to set in motion the actions today that will build a better future tomorrow - in other words， strategy。 But how do leaders become strategists？
In this ground-breaking book， Richard Rumelt， the world's leading authority on strategy， shows how finding the crux of a challenge is the essence of the strategist's skill。 The crux is the key issue where action will best pay off， and Rumelt reveals how to pinpoint it so you can focus energy on what really matters。 Drawing on decades of professional and academic experience， and through vivid storytelling - from Elon Musk's decision-making to Netflix's journey - Rumelt illuminates how leaders can overcome obstacles， navigate uncertainty and determine the best path forward。
Strategy is not about setting financial targets， statements of desired outcomes， or performance goals， it is about finding the crux and taking decisive， coherent action。
Reviews
Frank O'connor
，
This is a book about strategic thinking。 It is unusual among business books in so far as it contains a clear analysis of the issue as well as practical solutions on how to solve the problems involved。 The opening rock climbing analogy is apt and sets the scene well。
Gatot Widayanto
，
THE BEST BUSINESS BOOK OF 2022Three reasons why this book is a must read: the most important role of a leader is strategy， there are misunderstandings in understanding strategy and the importance of business excellence。 Lots of leaders interpret strategy as a specific target or achievement of a business。 It is not a strategy because strategy is related to the fundamental problems （the crux） facing the company and how coherent actions are taken to solve them。 In the intro， Rumelt explains very we THE BEST BUSINESS BOOK OF 2022Three reasons why this book is a must read: the most important role of a leader is strategy， there are misunderstandings in understanding strategy and the importance of business excellence。 Lots of leaders interpret strategy as a specific target or achievement of a business。 It is not a strategy because strategy is related to the fundamental problems （the crux） facing the company and how coherent actions are taken to solve them。 In the intro， Rumelt explains very well and clearly using the analogy of rock climbing where a climber must fully understand the right and left footholds， as well as the right and left hand grips on a cliff。 He then crawled up considering each foothold and hand grip and the strength to go up。 Do not be hasty in setting targets if the fundamental issues are not fully understood。For myself， reading The Crux has many benefits because apart from being a cool concept， it is accompanied by comprehensive tools。 Maybe it's only business professors like Rumelt or Porter or Gary Hamel who can simplify complex business strategies into a framework that is easy to understand and can be applied immediately。Rumelt also mentioned a number of old school tools which he said were still relevant， for example the BCG Growth – Share matrix for multi-business companies， such as Astra， Sinar Mas and so on。Because I read The Crux， my approach when having a dialogue with a potential client last Wednesday morning was structured and BLENG！ immediately understood by the client。 Alhamdulillah。 Reading books is very useful。Someone who works in a certain company， not a consultant， can also use The Crux easily and God willing， his career will go up。This lesson from The Crux includes four things。 First， dealing with strategic issues is how to deal with challenges。 Strategy is a journey， not just set and then executed; but both run together， emergent。 Business challenges must be focused on actions that can actually be taken which are referred to in this book as ASC （addressable strategic challenges） and then followed by coherent actions。Second， understand the sources of our strengths by knowing which areas we really differ from the others （see an edge）， long and short term innovation and business size。 One example is Intel， which was originally a leader in the semiconductor business and then struggled in the small 9nm chip size。Third， don't be lulled by management tools that aren't actually a strategy。 Some executives use terms that seem 'strategic'， for example the five forces， growth-share matrix or others without understanding their essence。 Even though it's all just management tools。Fourth， dig as deep as possible until you get the crux， then arrange coherent actions。 For example， RyanAir finally realized that the main challenge lies in selecting different flight routes from competitors but having good traffic。 Another example is Amazon， which is striving to become the most customer-centric firm on planet earth。 Every challenge at Amazon is always packaged with customer priority in its truest sense， followed up in a concrete way。Gatot WidayantoMember of BREED （Book Review， Entrepreneur Excellence & Dialogue）BREED reviews business books on weekly basis， every Wednesday evening， Jakarta Time 。。。more
Avi Poje
，
At times， I found The Crux dangled interesting tidbits on front of me about how to develop strategy as a mid-level manger。 At other times， it delved into worlds I know nothing about， and can’t possibly relate to unless I were a CEO of a multinational corporation。I wish more of the book were useful to my situation。 However， I thought it was exciting enough to jot down several passages， and it was an interesting read。
Deeni
，
Extremely UsefulI finished reading this book amidst the annual strategy making at my organization。 The book confirmed many of what I have came to experience through the years like “long term” goals in metrics masquerading as strategy。 The book came in very handy for this year’s “strategy foundry” （ to borrow from the book） and is very very useful in directing our thinking on strategy。
VENKATRAMAN C K
，
I just finished reading the book， "THE CRUX: How leaders become strategists" by Richard Rumelt Having observed， as well as participated in many strategy exercises， I have seen both successes & failures with myriad of reasons for both outcomes， and see many such equivalents in this book。The Author comes up with a very useful framework called "Strategy Foundry" - a furnace metaphor for a process of casting a solid set of actions that address critical challenges facing the Organization。 He has been I just finished reading the book， "THE CRUX: How leaders become strategists" by Richard Rumelt Having observed， as well as participated in many strategy exercises， I have seen both successes & failures with myriad of reasons for both outcomes， and see many such equivalents in this book。The Author comes up with a very useful framework called "Strategy Foundry" - a furnace metaphor for a process of casting a solid set of actions that address critical challenges facing the Organization。 He has been practising the framework for many years。 At the very outset he calls out the three big challenges that face a CEO when creating a strategy - Growth Expectations， Corporate internal power challenges and Creation of coherent actions。 These， if not addressed， will result in a wishful Goal set with no clear path of achieving them。 However， CEOs are pressurised by various stakeholders & misaligned incentives to pursue the trodden path which mostly fails。 The central premise is that Strategy is about identification， selection & resolving of critical challenges that face an Organization。 Companies make a classic mistake by starting their strategic exercises with defining long term Goals。 Goals， according to him， are an outcome of strategy process。 They exist to measure progress against Actions selected to solve critical business challenges。Thus， the essence of strategy is to first identify core set of issues facing the Organization， which when solved can move the Organization forward。 The next step is to choose among these issues and prioritise them。 Then pick the few that are both critical （strategic） and addressable （resources， skills available or can be made available） and build Action plans。 Thus， CRUX of the process is to identify Addressable Strategic Challenges （ASCs） & build and commit to Action plans。 He calls this three steps - Collect， Cluster & Filter。 Strategy is problem solving and consists of creation of Policies & Actions to address ASCs。 The book describes various aspects of how to do this - both the Dos and Watch-outs。 Plenty of examples are covered from US and Europe & also across industries。Each item， in the list below， is a chapter by itself with case studies to drive home the point。Dos:- Problem diagnosis （ Use of Framing， Analogies ， Use of Comparison & Frameworks）- Seek an Edge- Innovating- Address Organization DysfunctionWatch-outs:- Don't Start with Goals- Don't confuse Strategy with Management- Don't confuse current （read Quarterly） Financial Results with Strategy- Use sharp analytical tools with care- Use Strategic Planning （long range） with care （Hits & Misses， Uses & Misuses）Process:- Foundry Walkthrough- Strategy Foundry Concepts & Tools。A highly provocative book。 He demolishes lots of conventional wisdom ！！ A must read for all Leaders ！！。 。。。more
Juan
，
Me gustó más "good strategy/bad strategy"。 Aquí entra en más ejemplos， pero me resulta menos estimulante。 En todo caso un placer leer a Richard Rumelt reflexionando y pensando estratégicamente。 Me gustó más "good strategy/bad strategy"。 Aquí entra en más ejemplos， pero me resulta menos estimulante。 En todo caso un placer leer a Richard Rumelt reflexionando y pensando estratégicamente。 。。。more
Cemal Duman
，
It is always great to read about Mr Rumelt’s insight。 While reading book i felt little bit Rumelt lost where strategical decision finish where problem solving began。 So i skimmed “Good Strategy and Bad Strategy” again。 Only then it was easier to follow his thought train。 But if you are reading his book first time some concepts might mislead you。Anyhow some people admire Kardashians ， some people admire Buffet。 I think Mr。 Rumelt is one of the persons i admire most。 Whatevet he brings i will read It is always great to read about Mr Rumelt’s insight。 While reading book i felt little bit Rumelt lost where strategical decision finish where problem solving began。 So i skimmed “Good Strategy and Bad Strategy” again。 Only then it was easier to follow his thought train。 But if you are reading his book first time some concepts might mislead you。Anyhow some people admire Kardashians ， some people admire Buffet。 I think Mr。 Rumelt is one of the persons i admire most。 Whatevet he brings i will read :） 。。。more
Ben
，
Excellent。 Lots of examples， no bullshit。
C L
，
This is probably one of the best books I’ve read on strategy development。 Definitely among my top five strategy books。 Mr。 remelt does an excellent job in providing practical and actual guidance on creating strategy， while also describing some of the intricacies of strata development。 His points about focus and coherent guiding principles are spot on。 Highly recommend this book to senior leaders and others that are developing strategies for the organizations。
Tõnu Vahtra
，
Strategy is not about setting vast long term goals and aspirations。 Instead， it is about solving problems。 If the world gave us everything we needed， we wouldn't need strategy。 Because we have problems， of varying significance and resolvability， we need strategy to help us sort out what we should do， how to choose， and how to sustain that focus to fix the problems before us。In this book author is aruging against the misconception that strategy is something on its own that can jump into existence Strategy is not about setting vast long term goals and aspirations。 Instead， it is about solving problems。 If the world gave us everything we needed， we wouldn't need strategy。 Because we have problems， of varying significance and resolvability， we need strategy to help us sort out what we should do， how to choose， and how to sustain that focus to fix the problems before us。In this book author is aruging against the misconception that strategy is something on its own that can jump into existence of nowhere。 In exactly such scenarios we end up in situations with 20 TOP priorities while achieving maybe 2 of them and wasting a lot of effort along the way （also cited as "positive thinking success theater"）。 Strategy is merely a means to an end， a method/tool that should help us tackle the challenges that hinder us from reaching our most important goals。 If it's something else then it's simply waste。 Rumelt's previous book "Good Strategy and Bad Strategy" was one of the best books I've read on strategy which I also recommend when someone asks for books about strategy。 This book deals with a very important concept （strategy should be about problem solving） but is much less "dense"。 Most of the book is about looking at strategy through problem focus and what are the implications of ignoring this connection or what are the conditions that hinder its success （i。e。 key challenges must be owned by the key policy makers for effective strategy）。 The author also proposes The Strategy Foundry concept as the platform for applying strategy for key problem solving which is covered in the last 15% of the book （I would have liked more focus there， but I guess this is because author is also offering this as a commercial service）。 Definitely useful book but not something that leaves a lasting impression， I would say it mainly complements the Good Strategy and Bad Strategy book。 Key concepts covered （according to book description）:-Strategy is a form of problem solving and you cannot solve a problem that you do not comprehend。-The most effective leaders become strategists by focusing on the way forward promising the greatest achievable progress—the path whose crux was judged to be solvable。-You cannot deduce a good strategy from theory。 Much of design is a combination of imagination and knowing about many other designs， copying some elements of each。-To be a strategist you will have to keep your actions and policies coherent with each other， not nullifying your efforts by having too many different initiatives or conflicting purposes。"A strategy is a mixture of policy and action designed to surmount a high-stakes challenge。 It is not a goal or wished-for end state。 It is a form of problem-solving—you cannot solve a problem you do not comprehend。 Thus， challenge-based strategy begins with a broad description of the challenges—problems and opportunities—facing the organization。 They may be competitive， legal， due to changing social norms， or issues with the organization itself。In performing a diagnosis， the strategist seeks to understand why certain challenges have become salient， about the forces at work， and why the challenge seems difficult。 In this work， we use the tools of analogy， reframing， comparison， and analysis in order to understand what is happening and what is critical。As understanding deepens， the strategist seeks the crux—the one challenge that both is critical and appears to be solvable。 This narrowing down is the source of much of the strategist’s power， as focus remains the cornerstone of strategy。The strategist should understand the sources of “edge，” or power， or leverage that are relevant to the situation。 To punch through the crux， you will use one or more of them。 Willpower is not enough。To do strategy well， avoid the bright， shiny distractions that abound。 Don’t spend days on mission statements; don’t start with goals in strategy work。 Don’t get too caught up in the ninety-day chase around quarterly earning results。Importantly， there are multiple pitfalls when executives work in a group， or workshop， to formulate strategy。 The Strategy Foundry is a process by which a small group of executives can do challenge-based strategy， discover the crux， and create a set of coherent actions for punching through those issues。 It is quite different from strategic planning or other so-called strategy workshops， where the outcome is essentially a long-term budget。"A Strategy Foundry is intended to help senior managers create a more effective strategy for their organization。 In general， the senior executive officer must be a participant。 During a Strategy Foundry， participants will be guided in diagnosing the situation facing the company， developing broad guiding policies， and creating coherent actions based on proximate objectives。 They typically engage up to 10 top managers from a single firm and last 2 to 5 days。 By starting with the challenge， the group becomes responsible for designing a response rather than choosing among plans already advanced by members or others， or just filling in the blanks for a longer-term budget。 。。。more
Mark Dodson
，
Redundant。
Andrew Carr
，
Sometimes a book will come along at the right time and place and give your thinking a solid kick。 For me， at this time， this was such a book。Strategy， Rumelt implores his readers 'is not magic'。 It's not about setting vast long term goals and aspirations。 Instead， it is about solving problems。 If the world gave us everything we needed， we wouldn't need strategy。 Because we have problems， of varying significance and resolvability， we need strategy to help us sort out what we should do， how to cho Sometimes a book will come along at the right time and place and give your thinking a solid kick。 For me， at this time， this was such a book。Strategy， Rumelt implores his readers 'is not magic'。 It's not about setting vast long term goals and aspirations。 Instead， it is about solving problems。 If the world gave us everything we needed， we wouldn't need strategy。 Because we have problems， of varying significance and resolvability， we need strategy to help us sort out what we should do， how to choose， and how to sustain that focus to fix the problems before us。For some years now， I've been disenchanted with the idea of Grand Strategy， with its emphasis on the long term， the aspirational， the planned， the aesthetically intellectual。 For a time， I thought Emergent Strategy was a viable alternative。 And while it has much to recommend， especially those authors who've touched on its links to complexity science， it too has its flaws。 It can be self-satisfied， or unfocused and often gives up the space for meaningful action。 Both Grand and Emergent Strategy seem to be ways of explaining organisational actions， without the word 'strategy' clearly adding something distinct to the day-to-day practices。Enter 'The Crux'。 Rumelt sees strategy as about problem solving， and 'the crux' as the skill of identifying what problems/issues/opportunities are important， what can be actually addressed， and building the focus that enables us to take action over a short-medium term to try and address them。For me， the value of this was several-fold。 First， it helped strengthen my rejection of goal setting 。 Second， the idea of problem solving as the central issue of strategy is compelling。 Third I've long been drawn to Andrew Marshall's notions of Diagnosis as the task of the strategist， and this very much fits within Rumelts framework。 Fourth， I now believe that， with some additions， Rumelts framework could help us find a a valuable middle ground between Grand and Emergent strategic ideas。 One that retained the sense of deliberate active work of the Grand， while bringing in the richer， more humble sense of shaping environments and cultures of the Emergent。 A middle ground that better fits with the ideas of complexity science， recognising that as complex adaptive systems， our institutions are faced with complexity， but that adaption has to be effortful as well。That said， I could also see others reading this book and seeing it as interesting but not an instant classic。 YMMV as they say。 For me， this was an inspiring and deeply thought provoking read that has really shifted my thinking in ways I greatly appreciate。 So it's a clear 5 stars from me。 。。。more
Tim Hughes
，
Does your business have a strategy or a mission statement？Is it based on platitudes or does it really commit your business to a clear vision？ In the follow up to his book “good strategy / bad strategy” Richard Rumelt details using his own case studies， some of which are good and some are really cringey。 Richard talks about the need to have strategies that are NOT linked to some financial year or financial impact。 He also talks about the need for buy in across the business。 If you are a leader of Does your business have a strategy or a mission statement？Is it based on platitudes or does it really commit your business to a clear vision？ In the follow up to his book “good strategy / bad strategy” Richard Rumelt details using his own case studies， some of which are good and some are really cringey。 Richard talks about the need to have strategies that are NOT linked to some financial year or financial impact。 He also talks about the need for buy in across the business。 If you are a leader of a business or on a leadership team you should read this。 。。。more
Hallie
，
Solid POV on the definition of strategy， ideas on how leaders can work at getting there， useful tips and tools to try out in real life。 Good pacing， concise。 Yet somehow not really a wow book， in revelations shared or this reader's engagement。 Solid POV on the definition of strategy， ideas on how leaders can work at getting there， useful tips and tools to try out in real life。 Good pacing， concise。 Yet somehow not really a wow book， in revelations shared or this reader's engagement。 。。。more
Parthasarathy Rengaraj
，
Good one， for me the pace is crucial but I found high narration has bit slowed down me
Dhruv
，
This book is vitally important in helping dispel a few myths and bad practices around strategy。 For example， setting goals is not a strategy， neither is creating a mission statement。 The heart of strategic thinking lies in addressing challenges through action， and that's what this book is all about。 I will have to re read it to absorb all the ideas， but highly recommended even as a first pass。 It's good to read Good Strategy， Bad Strategy by the same author before this one。 This book is vitally important in helping dispel a few myths and bad practices around strategy。 For example， setting goals is not a strategy， neither is creating a mission statement。 The heart of strategic thinking lies in addressing challenges through action， and that's what this book is all about。 I will have to re read it to absorb all the ideas， but highly recommended even as a first pass。 It's good to read Good Strategy， Bad Strategy by the same author before this one。 。。。more
Michael Pietsch
，
How to develop a strategyA practical guide， illustrated with many interesting examples， about how to develop a strategy including what not to do。 Highly recommended and a great addition to an area of business that is most misunderstood。
Zack Rearick
，