Grit – Angela Duckworth
Good to Great – Jim Collins
Blue Ocean Strategy – W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne
Purchase on Amazon:
https://amzn.to/46GdruA
Main Idea: “Blue Ocean Strategy” presents a systematic approach to making the competition irrelevant by carving out a new market space, or “Blue Ocean,” where a company can innovate and create new demand, rather than competing in an existing market, or “Red Ocean.”
Key Points:
Red Ocean vs. Blue Ocean:
- Red Oceans represent existing market spaces where companies compete, leading to market saturation and shrinking profits.
- Blue Oceans symbolize untapped market spaces, ripe for innovation. Here, competition is irrelevant because the rules of the game are waiting to be set.
Value Innovation:
- The cornerstone of the Blue Ocean Strategy is value innovation. Instead of focusing on beating the competition, focus on making it irrelevant by creating a leap in value for both the company and its customers.
Four Actions Framework:
- Eliminate: Remove factors that the industry has long competed on.
- Reduce: Decrease factors below the industry standard.
- Raise: Increase factors well above the industry’s standard.
- Create: Introduce new factors the industry has never offered.
Strategy Canvas:
- A diagnostic tool that visually captures the current state of play in the known market space. It helps in understanding where the competition is investing and what customers receive from existing competitive offerings.
Three Characteristics of a Good Strategy:
- Focus on key factors that lift its value proposition.
- Divergence from the competition.
- A compelling tagline that speaks to the market focus and divergence.
Overcome Key Organizational Hurdles:
- Cognitive: Redefining market boundaries and understanding the potential of a Blue Ocean.
- Resource: Limited resources should be leveraged to pursue new opportunities.
- Motivational: Motivate employees to move forward with the new strategy.
- Political: Overcome internal resistance and politics.
Review: “Blue Ocean Strategy” offers a fresh perspective on strategic market creation. Instead of getting bogged down in existing competitive markets, it encourages companies to innovate and create their own space, making competition irrelevant. The book provides practical tools and frameworks to help businesses break out of saturated markets and explore new territories.
Recommendation: This book is a must-read for business leaders, strategists, and entrepreneurs looking to break away from fierce competition and explore untapped market potentials. It’s especially relevant for those feeling stuck in highly competitive industries and are seeking a fresh approach to strategic planning and innovation.
Purchase on Amazon:
https://amzn.to/46GdruA