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The thing is, continuity of strategic direction and continuous improvement in how you do things are absolutely consistent with each other. In fact, they’re mutually reinforcing.

Michael Porter

If a strategy meets a goal: It’s working. If a strategy meets a target: It’s a success.
MICHAEL PORTER

Goal Inspirational Strategy Success Work
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.
MICHAEL PORTER

Better Competition Different Started Yourself
The underlying principles of strategy are enduring, regardless of technology or the pace of change.
MICHAEL PORTER

Change Endurance Pace Principle Technology
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
Ultimately, health care fails the most basic test. It’s not organized around the needs of the patient.
MICHAEL PORTER

Basic Care Failure Health Need Patient
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
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
The chief strategist of an organization has to be the leader – the CEO.
MICHAEL PORTER

Leadership Organization Strategy
Strategic thinking rarely occurs spontaneously.
MICHAEL PORTER

Occur Rare Strategy
The ability to change constantly and effectively is made easier by high-level continuity.
MICHAEL PORTER

Ability Change Constant Continue
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.
MICHAEL PORTER

Creation Definition Economy Global Production Profit Purpose
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
Risk is a function of how poorly a strategy will perform if the ‘wrong’ scenario occurs.
MICHAEL PORTER

Function Performance Poor Risk Strategy Wrong
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
The best CEOs I know are teachers, and at the core of what they teach is strategy.
MICHAEL PORTER

Best Myself Strategy Teacher
Sound strategy starts with having the right goal
MICHAEL PORTER

Goal Right Sound Start
Good leaders need a positive agenda, not just an agenda of dealing with crisis.
MICHAEL PORTER

Deal Goodness Leadership Need Positive
Innovation is the central issue in economic prosperity.
MICHAEL PORTER

Economics Innovation Issues Prosperity
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
You can’t be all things to all people.
MICHAEL PORTER

Be Yourself People Self Love
Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different.
MICHAEL PORTER

Choice Different Strategy Yourself
Finally, strategy must have continuity. It can’t be constantly reinvented.
MICHAEL PORTER

Constant Invention Strategy
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.
MICHAEL PORTER

Boundary Government Medicine Teaching
The essence of strategy is that you must set limits on what you’re trying to accomplish.
MICHAEL PORTER

Accomplishment Limitation Strategy Yourself
The company without a strategy is willing to try anything.
MICHAEL PORTER

Company Ideas Try Willing
There’s a fundamental distinction between strategy and operational effectiveness.
MICHAEL PORTER

Effect Fundamental Operational Strategy
Strategy is choice. Strategy means saying no to certain kinds of things.
MICHAEL PORTER

Choice Decline Kind Strategy

The thing is, continuity of strategic direction and continuous improvement in how you do things are absolutely consistent with each other. In fact, they’re mutually reinforcing.

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The thing is, continuity of strategic direction and continuous improvement in how you do things are absolutely consistent with each other. In fact, they’re mutually reinforcing.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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