41 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
Robert Greene's 2006 book applying military strategy to competitive life — 33 strategies drawn from Napoleon, Alexander the Great, and other military commanders — structured as a manual for navigating competitive situations.
Robert Greene's 1998 book distilling 3,000 years of power strategy from historical examples — 48 laws derived from Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Talleyrand, and others — which became a cult classic among entrepreneurs, hip-hop artists, and athletes.
American executive who served as CEO of Procter & Gamble twice (2000–09, 2013–16) — transforming it through outsourced innovation (Connect+Develop), brand portfolio rationalization, and customer insight — and who co-authored Playing to Win with Roger Martin.
Hungarian-American businessman — co-founder and CEO of Intel — who coined 'Only the Paranoid Survive' and created the OKR management system — the most operationally excellent technology CEO of the semiconductor era.
British military historian and strategist — author of Sherman, Scipio Africanus, and The Strategy of Indirect Approach — who argued for armored warfare and blitzkrieg tactics after WWI and became the most influential 20th century military theorist.
American NFL head coach — San Francisco 49ers (1979–1988) — creator of the West Coast Offense — 3 Super Bowl titles — considered the greatest NFL coach alongside Vince Lombardi and Bill Belichick.
Robert Coram's 2002 biography of Colonel John Boyd — who revolutionized fighter jet design, created the OODA loop, and transformed American military strategy — the most widely read military biography of the contemporary era.
Michael Porter's 1980 foundational business strategy text — introducing the Five Forces framework (threat of entry, substitutes, supplier power, buyer power, rivalry) and three generic strategies (cost leadership, differentiation, focus) — the most cited business book and the foundation of MBA strategy courses.
British political strategist — who ran the successful Vote Leave Brexit campaign (2016) — Chief Adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson (2019–2020) — whose 'weirdos and misfits' management approach and hostility to the civil service made him the most disruptive figure in British government in modern history.
Buffett's metaphor for a company's durable competitive advantage — the structural features that protect its returns on capital from competitive erosion.
American national security strategist — former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense — author of The Strategy of Denial — the leading theoretical architect of a US military strategy focused on denying China control of Taiwan.
Orson Scott Card's 1985 novel about a child military genius trained to defeat an alien invasion — notable for exploring strategy, manipulation, empathy, and the ethics of war through a child's perspective — one of the most widely read science fiction novels ever written.
Vegetius's handbook on Roman military organization and tactics — the most widely read military manual in the medieval West, derived from earlier Roman sources.
Melissa Perri's 2018 argument that companies fall into the 'build trap' (equating outputs with outcomes, shipping features without measuring their impact) and how to escape it through outcome-driven product management.
Jim Collins's metaphor for how sustained organizational excellence is built — through consistent, disciplined pushing in one direction until momentum makes the flywheel self-reinforcing.
Richard Rumelt's 2011 argument that most corporate strategy is 'bad strategy' (aspirational fluff, goals mistaken for strategy) and that 'good strategy' always has three elements: a diagnosis of the challenge, a guiding policy, and coherent actions.
Carthaginian general — who crossed the Alps with war elephants, invaded Italy, and inflicted the worst defeats in Roman history (Trebia, Lake Trasimene, Cannae — 70,000 Romans killed at Cannae alone) — yet ultimately failed to conquer Rome and was defeated by Scipio Africanus at Zama.
Chris Matthews's 1988 book on the hard rules of political and business power — distilled from his experience working for Tip O'Neill — presenting the unsentimental tactics of how Washington power actually works.
Jim Collins's strategic framework — from Good to Great — for identifying the one thing a company should focus on: the intersection of what it can be best in the world at, what drives its economic engine, and what its people are deeply passionate about.
Japanese swordsman — undefeated in 61 duels — author of The Book of Five Rings — who founded the Niten Ichi-ryu style of swordsmanship and whose philosophy of strategy has been applied to business and martial arts.
Military strategy text analyzing Napoleon's campaigns in the context of modern warfare — examining which Napoleonic principles remained valid in 20th century military contexts.
Andrew Grove's 1996 account of strategic inflection points — moments when the forces shaping a business change so fundamentally that management must either adapt or die — using Intel's near-death experience from Japanese memory chip competition as the primary case.
A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin's 2013 strategy framework — the choice cascade (Winning Aspiration, Where to Play, How to Win, Capabilities, Management Systems) — grounded in Lafley's experience transforming P&G.
American management professor at UCLA Anderson School — author of Good Strategy Bad Strategy — who is considered the most rigorous academic writer on competitive strategy and who coined the concept of 'kernel of good strategy' (diagnosis, guiding policy, coherent actions).
American author — author of The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, and Mastery — who synthesizes historical case studies into amoral strategic frameworks — the most widely cited author in hip-hop lyrics and the mentor of Ryan Holiday.
Canadian management thinker and former Dean of the Rotman School of Management — author of Playing to Win (with A.G. Lafley), The Design of Business, and The Opposable Mind — who argues that integrative thinking (holding two conflicting ideas simultaneously without forcing a compromise) is the core skill of great leaders.
Saul Alinsky's 1971 guide to community organizing — providing 13 rules for effective power-building and political action — the most influential organizing manual and the most cited radical politics strategy book.
American author — author of The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, and The Daily Stoic — who popularized Stoic philosophy for modern audiences — the most widely read popularizer of Stoicism in contemporary culture.
Roman general who defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama (202 BC) — ending the Second Punic War and making Rome the undisputed master of the Mediterranean — arguably the greatest Roman general before Caesar.
Ben Thompson's daily technology business analysis newsletter — the most widely read paid technology newsletter — which invented the modern technology newsletter business model and the Aggregation Theory framework for platform analysis.
Ancient Chinese military general and strategist — attributed author of The Art of War — whose identity is debated — the most influential military strategist in East Asian history and the most globally applied ancient thinker.
Robert Greene's 1998 guide to acquiring and maintaining power — synthesizing historical examples into 48 laws (from 'Never outshine the master' to 'Crush your enemy totally') — the most widely read amoral strategy book and the most cited non-fiction text in hip-hop.
Sun Tzu's 5th-century BCE military treatise — 13 chapters on strategy, deception, and the relationship between victory and avoiding battle — the most widely read military strategy text in history and the most applied ancient text in contemporary business.
Miyamoto Musashi's 1645 treatise on swordsmanship and strategy — organized around five elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Void) — the most widely read Japanese strategic philosophy text, applied globally to business and martial arts.
Clayton Christensen's 1997 theory of disruptive innovation — arguing that established companies fail not from incompetence but from rationally serving existing customers while neglecting low-end entrants that eventually displace them — the most influential business theory book of the last 30 years.
Ryan Holiday's 2014 guide to Stoic philosophy — arguing that obstacles contain opportunities when approached with perception, action, and will — the book that initiated the modern Stoicism self-help revival.
Bryan Caplan's application of public choice theory to foreign policy — arguing that the concept of coherent national 'grand strategy' is largely an illusion produced by bureaucratic incentives and self-interested decision-makers.
Norwegian chess grandmaster and five-time World Chess Champion — considered by many the greatest chess player of all time, distinguished by his ability to win in technically drawn positions through superior psychological and positional play.
Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztec Empire with 500 men — one of history's most audacious military campaigns, achieved through alliance-building, psychological warfare, and strategic boldness.
Nobel Prize-winning economist who founded the study of strategic interaction — introducing focal points, commitment devices, and the analysis of bargaining under incomplete information.
Former GM of the Philadelphia 76ers who orchestrated 'The Process' — a radical multi-year rebuild through systematic tanking designed to accumulate top draft picks and build a championship team.