Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works

With a very concise style the reading take you through the most valuable techniques and advices on corporate strategy. The text goes beyond the theory and shows the P&G examples to clarify the concepts. A book worth to read.

This was a wonderful resource for defining how to build a strategy and the simple steps that get you there. Plenty of good real-world examples to drive the points home. I bought it for my entire management team and we'll use it repeatedly in the years to come.

Every part of this book resonated with me. Absolutely great read that provides both a framework broadly applicable to likely any industry or even function, and balanced examples. Leaves me wishing I could learn alongside these great thinkers and leaders.

The P&G stories are fascinating. The Strategy Cascade provides a template for considering all sorts of choices both personal and business related. I'm on my second note taking read and would recommend it to anyone wanting to improve their ability to succeed.

Well written and practical approach to implementing strategic thinking in an enterprise and developing the thinking of managers. Great real life examples from the authors. Excellent reference material and practical advice for implementation. I am eager to apply several of the key ideas. Highly recommend this to any general manager who wants to refresh their thinking about strategic planning before the next enterprise planning cycle.

Strategy is about choices and this book nails it. Strategy is not balanced scorecard, is not operating excellence, is not best practices, and is not vision/mission/purpose. This book explains why and shows examples from Protor & Gamble.

As someone said in the book description, story serves as an integrated way, which is important to Lafley strategy approach, to address the cause-and-effects. If you don't look other place else because of the promotion in the book description, then you follow the story. If you follow the story, then people feel awkward. If people feel awkward, then they requires explanation. If they are confuse, then the cause-and-effects in story won't happen. If so, "how strategy really works" can't works in your place.

Our organization is looking to build out a strategy process and this book could not have been a better framework to begin that process.

Highly recommend for anyone trying to run, start or invest in a company!

Strategy is choice....
a great but simple framework (based on 5 crucial choices to make) for crunching, articulating and then executing strategy.
I used their strategic approach to present an opportunity!

Anybody, anywhere, who owns a business in any industry, needs to read this book. That might seem a bit of puffery, but I stand by my word. A.G. Lafley lays out the fundamentals of business strategy in an approachable and applicable format. Further, he paints clearly why all businesses, despite their size, will benefit from a well thought out strategy (it focuses on business strategy overall, but can certainly be applied to and integrate with marketing, communications, customer support and other business functions).

Strategy is choice....
a great but simple framework (based on 5 crucial choices to make) for crunching, articulating and then executing strategy.
I used their strategic approach to present an opportunity!

Anybody, anywhere, who owns a business in any industry, needs to read this book. That might seem a bit of puffery, but I stand by my word. A.G. Lafley lays out the fundamentals of business strategy in an approachable and applicable format. Further, he paints clearly why all businesses, despite their size, will benefit from a well thought out strategy (it focuses on business strategy overall, but can certainly be applied to and integrate with marketing, communications, customer support and other business functions).

A book on strategy by a strategist with an impressive record of implementing successful changes in a leading company in the world. A down to earth explanation on how to win in the tough world of consumer products. I read it in about a week. Easy and enjoyable reading.

Reading This book would help to avoid reading so many others. Should surely be the first to be read on a list of strategy books. Thanks Mr. Lafley for sharing your life's learning with the world and some of the most intimate aspects of business at P And G.

The best book on strategy I have read since Michael Porter's book on Competitive Strategy. I have used the approach and thinking explained in the book both as a consultant and a CEO with great success. I highly recommend all executives read and internalize this approach to developing strategy. It is also a great eulogy for the major strategy consulting firms.

The information provided gives any leader the ability to frame a strategic direction regardless of "level".

Clearly a CEO or EVP can execute more. However, this book gives solid actionable advice and clear guidance for all.

The story and methodology could be well explained in half the pages without loosing quality. It would be interesting to know if other companies have used same strategy with success with real examples.

Archaic view of business - felt like reading a book out of the 1950s. Sure there are some great basics in the book related to strategy/strategic thinking... but better and more innovative books exist. Don't waste your time with this one.