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Strategic Minds

Strategic Minds

By: Rich Horwath
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 Are you tactical or strategic? Research shows that it’s the difference between bankruptcy and a Kevlar competitive advantage.

In a world where bad strategy is the leading cause of business failure, and only one out of every four leaders are truly strategic, strategic fitness is the meta-skill of elite executives.

On Strategic Minds, you’ll journey with New York Times & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Rich Horwath into conversations with extraordinary leaders and world-class experts to learn new ways to think, plan, and act strategically. You’ll discover game-changing insights, tips, and techniques to turbocharge your performance and position you as a true difference-maker in your arena.Rich Horwath Economics
Episodes
  • Discovering Insights at the Edges

    Discovering Insights at the Edges
    Oct 21 2025
    Discovering Insights at the Edges In this episode, Rich Horwath sits down with Dr. Rita McGrath, Columbia Business School professor and one of the world’s foremost experts on strategy and innovation. Known for her books including, Discovery-Driven Growth, The End of Competitive Advantage and Seeing Around Corners, Dr. McGrath reveals how leaders can identify the early signals of change and shape organizations that thrive through disruption. From checkpoint-based planning to the power of systematic disengagement, Rita explains how today’s most successful leaders move beyond rigid planning and instead experiment, learn, and adapt. She explores the value of leading indicators, resource reconfiguration, and discovering opportunity in emerging “arenas” rather than static industries. Together, Rich and Rita discuss why true strategic clarity demands courage—the willingness to stop doing what no longer serves and the foresight to invest in what could be. 🔑 Key Quotes: “My friend Sharon Price-John, who happens to be the CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, has a great way of framing this. She said, stop doing stupid stuff.” “And what an inflection point does is it changes that envelope of possibilities. So now you can do things you never could before.” “And if you think about things like a mission, Patagonia would come to mind as a firm that’s centered on that. So I think the first choice you need to make is—what are we sort of centering ourselves on?” “And if you don’t invest in creating the conditions for those future choices, you just won’t have those choices to make.” “A leading indicator is giving you some clues about what could be—not necessarily will be—but what could be in the future.” “And I think strategy is really critical, because how else are you going to have the clarity to say, yes, I’m doing this and not that?” 🏆 Winsights: This week’s Winsight comes from Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, who reminds us: “If you are not genuinely pained by the risk involved in your strategic choices, then it’s not much of a strategy.” Real strategy requires trade-offs. It’s not about doing everything—it’s about deciding what matters most, and having the discipline to say no to what doesn’t. Great leaders make those choices consciously, knowing that clarity comes with discomfort. As Hastings suggests, the anxiety we feel when we commit to one path and close off others is the signal that strategy is working. If every decision feels easy, we’re not being strategic—we’re just being busy. This week, reflect on the trade-offs you and your team are making. If you feel that tension, you’re likely heading in the right direction. 🔗 Links: Connect with Rita Mcgrath: Website: ritamcgrath.com LinkedIn: Rita McGrath on LinkedIn Books: Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen – Amazon Link The End of Competitive Advantage: How to Keep Your Strategy Moving as Fast as Your Business — Amazon link Discovery-Driven Growth--Amazon Link The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Strategies for Continuously Creating Opportunity in an Age of Uncertainty — Amazon Link 🚀 Resources from Rich Horwath, Host of Strategic Minds: 🌐 Strategic Thinking Institute Website 👤 Rich Horwath on LinkedIn 🎥 Rich Horwath on YouTube 🐦 Rich Horwath on X 📸 Rich Horwath on Instagram 📘 STRATEGIC Book 🧠 Strategic Fitness System 📬 Free Strategic Thinker Newsletter 🧪 Strategic Quotient (SQ) Assessment 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 🎧 Listen on Spotify
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    53 mins
  • The Octopus Approach to AI

    The Octopus Approach to AI
    Oct 7 2025
    The Octopus Approach to AI In this episode, Rich sits down with Stephen Wunker, innovation strategist, author, and Managing Director at New Markets Advisors. As the co-author of AI and the Octopus Organization, Steve brings decades of experience helping companies harness innovation to drive real strategic change. Together, Rich and Steve explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the way organizations think, decide, and lead. They discuss the octopus as a metaphor for distributed intelligence—where agility at the edges connects seamlessly to alignment at the core—and share a practical framework for building the “superintelligent firm.” From shifting the role of managers to freeing time for creativity and connection, this episode uncovers how leaders can use AI to reshape their organizations for the future. If you’re looking to understand how strategy and AI truly intersect—and how to prepare your business for what’s next—this conversation is for you. 🔑 Key Quotes: “AI has the ability to free up so much time that’s spent gathering and processing information. The real promise is giving people more time to coach, collaborate, and connect.” “AI creates a fluidity of information—like a neural necklace in an octopus—enabling coordination but also potential dysfunction if left unmanaged.” “AI brings intelligence and rapid action to the edge of the organization, empowering frontline teams while keeping decisions within smart guardrails.” “In AI-infused workplaces, middle managers move from spending 25% of their time with people to 65%. That’s a massive unlock of capability.” “Great ideas are easy if you start with great questions.” ⏱️ Timestamps: (00:00) Deep Dive Interview with Stephen Wunker (42:38) Practice Makes Profit (45:18) League of Strategic Minds (46:49) Winsights: Ideas for Advantage 💰 Practice Makes Profit: Rich challenges leaders to take a strategic pause and think about their career evolution — not just where they are, but where they want to go. He outlines a simple framework used with executives to guide this reflection. Rich reminds listeners that effective leaders design their future, building each career move as a deliberate step toward their end game. 🧠 League of Strategic Minds: This listener's question: “What should a one-page business plan include?” Rich recommends creating a StrategyPrint — a clear, one-page snapshot of how your business creates value. He also suggests including your purpose, mission, vision, and values at the top to keep your plan anchored in intent. Listeners can submit their own questions at StrategySkills.com for a chance to be featured — and win some Strategic Minds swag. 🏆 Winsights: Rich closes with a Winsight — an idea for advantage — from Cal Henderson, co-founder of Slack, who asks: “What are the things that are most strategically important — and am I allocating my time to them correctly?” It’s easy for leaders to get lost in the weeds. Rich reminds teams to step back and structure their discussions around what truly drives the business forward. If your meetings are filled with tactics, your organization will stay tactical. Strategy begins with how you spend your time. 🔗 Links: 📘 AI and the Octopus Organization: Building the Superintelligent Firm: Amazon Link 📘Costovation: Innovation that Gives Your Customers Exactly What They Want–and Nothing More: Amazon Link 📘 The Innovative Leader: Step-by-Step Lessons from Top Innovators For You and Your Organization: Amazon Link 📘 Jobs To Be Done: A Roadmap for Customer-Centered Innovation: Amazon Link 💼 Stephen Wunker on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stephenwunker 🚀 Subscribe to Strategic Minds: 🌐 Strategic Thinking Institute Website 👤 Rich Horwath on LinkedIn 🎥 Rich Horwath on YouTube 🐦 Rich Horwath on X 📸 Rich Horwath on Instagram 📘 STRATEGIC Book 🧠 Strategic Fitness System 📬 Free Strategic Thinker Newsletter 🧪 Strategic Quotient (SQ) Assessment 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 🎧 Listen on Spotify
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    49 mins
  • Shaping the Future with Strategic Thinking

    Shaping the Future with Strategic Thinking
    Sep 23 2025
    Strategy: The Art of Shaping the Future In this episode, Rich sits down with renowned strategist, psychologist, and innovation expert Dr. Max McKeown. As the author of The Strategy Book, SuperAdaptability, and several other bestsellers, Max brings a uniquely creative lens to the world of strategic thinking — blending research, live visual art, and a deep appreciation for paradox. Together, Rich and Max explore what strategy really is, how imagination fuels innovation, and why developing a rhythm to your strategic work is essential in today’s ever-changing world. With insight, humor, and sharp metaphors, this episode offers a powerful reframing of how leaders can shape the future. If you're looking to reconnect with the why behind your strategy — and equip yourself with creative tools to thrive — this episode is for you. 🔑 Key Quotes: “Strategy is about shaping the future.” “Strategy is everything you need to get to where you want to go. Strategy is everything — but everything is not strategy.” “One organization I'm thinking about has a strategic rhythm to their work… slow, slow, quick, quick, slow.” “I define innovation as being practical creativity — making new ideas useful.” ⏱️ Timestamps: (00:00) Deep Dive Interview with Dr. Max McKeown (1:00:45) Practice Makes Profit (1:04:24) League of Strategic Minds (1:06:10) Winsights: Ideas for Advantage 💰 Practice Makes Profit: In this segment, Rich highlights the value chain as a powerful tool for sharpening strategic thinking. Originally developed by Michael Porter, the value chain breaks a business into primary activities (like production, operations, marketing, or sales) and the supporting secondary activities that enable them. By mapping these activities—whether at the industry level, such as bean production through roasting in the coffee industry, or at the company level, like Uber’s operations spanning rides, delivery, and freight—leaders can see where differentiation and costs shape customer value. Comparing your value chain against competitors’ makes it easier to identify areas of competitive advantage and disadvantage, offering a practical way to practice strategic thinking. 🧠 League of Strategic Minds: This listener Q&A tackled the question, “How can I tell if my strategy is working?” Rich explained that one common pitfall is changing strategies too quickly without truly testing them. The key lies in setting measurable objectives with clear timeframes, then building in milestones to track progress along the way. For example, instead of aiming vaguely to increase sales by 15% over the year, a leader might target 3% growth in Q1, 6% by Q2, and 10% by Q3. These checkpoints create a clear rhythm for evaluation, allowing leaders to adjust thoughtfully rather than guessing whether their strategy is paying off. 🏆 Winsights: To close the episode, Rich shared a quote from Olympic gold medal gymnast Shannon Miller, who observed that at the highest levels of competition, everyone is talented and works hard, but what separates the gold medalists from the silver medalists is the mental game. The insight applies equally to business: mental fitness is a strategic advantage. Rich encouraged listeners to build their own mental game by starting the day with short “mental workouts” to increase focus and resilience, positioning themselves to perform at their best when it matters most. 🔗 Links: 📘 SuperAdaptability 📘 The Strategy Book 📘 The Innovation Book 📘 The Innovator’s Book 🌐 TheSpeedStrategy.com 🎥 Max McKeown Live Drawings 🚀 Subscribe to Strategic Minds: 🌐 Strategic Thinking Institute Website 👤 Rich Horwath on LinkedIn 🎥 Rich Horwath on YouTube 🐦 Rich Horwath on X 📸 Rich Horwath on Instagram 📘 STRATEGIC Book 🧠 Strategic Fitness System 📬 Free Strategic Thinker Newsletter 🧪 Strategic Quotient (SQ) Assessment 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 🎧 Listen on Spotify
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    1 hr and 8 mins
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