Deep Dive: The Proven Method for Building Strategy, Focusing Your Resources, and Taking Smart Action

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 organizations 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 with a clear path to mastery of three disciplines: Acumen - generate critical insights through a step-by-step evaluation of the business and its environment; Allocation - focus limited resources of time, talent, and money; and, Action - implement a system to guarantee effective execution and communication of strategy throughout the organization. This book is based on research with senior executives from more than 150 companies and Horwath's own experience as a professional strategist. Armed with the knowledge from this book, every reader can become an expert strategist and an invaluable member of his or her organization.

Rich Horwath is the founder and CEO of the Strategic Thinking Institute where he facilitates strategy sessions for executive leadership teams, coaches senior leaders, and has helped more than 100,000 managers develop their strategic thinking skills through live workshops and virtual training. He is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author on strategic thinking, including the new groundbreaking strategy graphic novel, StrategyMan vs. The Anti-Strategy Squad: Using Strategic Thinking to Defeat Bad Strategy and Save Your Plan. Rich is a former Chief Strategy Officer and professor of strategy and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX TV. His work has been featured in publications including Fast Company, Forbes, and the Harvard Business Review.