“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.”

Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different.

Strategy is about setting yourself apart from the competition. It’s not a matter of being better at what you do – it’s a matter of being different at what you do.

Billions are wasted on ineffective philanthropy. Philanthropy is decades behind business in applying rigorous thinking to the use of money.

I teach in the medical school, the School of Public Health, the Kennedy School of Government, and the Business School. And it’s the best perch… because most of my work crosses boundaries.

You can’t be all things to all people.

There’s a fundamental distinction between strategy and operational effectiveness.

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

The underlying principles of strategy are enduring, regardless of technology or the pace of change.

The best CEOs I know are teachers, and at the core of what they teach is strategy.

Strategic thinking rarely occurs spontaneously.

The purpose of the corporation must be redefined as creating shared value, not just profit per se. This will drive the next wave of innovation and productivity growth in the global economy.

Operational effectiveness and strategy are both essential to superior performance.

In the vast majority of businesses, there is simply no such thing as “the best.”

Risk is a function of how poorly a strategy will perform if the ‘wrong’ scenario occurs.

Strategy is choice. Strategy means saying no to certain kinds of things.

The chief strategist of an organization has to be the leader – the CEO.