black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

You can’t be all things to all people.

Michael Porter

The U.S. is facing a structural competitiveness problem that is leading to the weakest economy we have seen in generations.
MICHAEL PORTER

Competition Economy Face Generation Structure Weakness
Billions are wasted on ineffective philanthropy. Philanthropy is decades behind business in applying rigorous thinking to the use of money.
MICHAEL PORTER

Business Money Philanthropy Thinking Time Wasted Time
Companies operating in urban communities have a tremendous ripple effect.
MICHAEL PORTER

Community Company Effect Urban
Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different.
MICHAEL PORTER

Choice Different Strategy Yourself
Change brings opportunities. On the other hand, change can be confusing.
MICHAEL PORTER

Change Confusion Hands Opportunity
Risk is a function of how poorly a strategy will perform if the ‘wrong’ scenario occurs.
MICHAEL PORTER

Function Performance Poor Risk Strategy Wrong
The company without a strategy is willing to try anything.
MICHAEL PORTER

Company Ideas Try Willing
The essence of strategy is that you must set limits on what you’re trying to accomplish.
MICHAEL PORTER

Accomplishment Limitation Strategy Yourself
A target should go with every goal. A target is the value that defines success.
MICHAEL PORTER

Definition Goal Success Target Value
Efforts to preserve all industries will lower the national standard of living.
MICHAEL PORTER

Effort Live Lower National Preserve Standard
If all you’re trying to do is essentially the same thing as your rivals, then it’s unlikely that you’ll be very successful.
MICHAEL PORTER

Rival Success Try Yourself
Health care historically has been a very siloed field that’s organized around medical specialties – urology, cardiac surgery, and so forth – and around the supply of these specialty services. The patient is the ping-pong ball that moves from service to service.
MICHAEL PORTER

Health History Medicine Organization Patient Service
Strategy is choice. Strategy means saying no to certain kinds of things.
MICHAEL PORTER

Choice Decline Kind Strategy
Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value.
MICHAEL PORTER

Activity Choice Competition Deliver Different Unique
If your goal is anything but profitability – if it’s to be big, or to grow fast, or to become a technology leader – you’ll hit problems.
MICHAEL PORTER

Big Goal Leadership Problem Profit Yourself
A strategy delineates a territory in which a company seeks to be unique.
MICHAEL PORTER

Company Seek Strategy Territory Unique

You can’t be all things to all people.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

You can’t be all things to all people.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Michael Porter Quotes