Rowing harder doesn't help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction.
Kenichi OhmaeRead
What business strategy is all about-what distinguishes it from all other kinds of business planning-is, in a word, competitive advantage. Without competitors there would be no need for strategy, for the sole purpose of strategic planning is to enable the company to gain, as efficiently as possible, a sustainable edge over its competitors.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Competitive advantage is essential in business strategy, allowing companies to outperform their rivals.
In the realm of business, a successful strategy hinges on the pursuit of competitive advantage, which distinguishes it from mere planning. This quote by Kenichi Ohmae emphasizes that without competitors, there is no necessity for strategic initiatives, as the primary objective of such planning is to help a company create and maintain an enduring advantage over other market players.
Themes
BusinessStrategyCompetitive AdvantagePlanningMarket
In practice
Example use cases
In a business presentation discussing market entry strategies.
More from Kenichi Ohmae
All quotes →It is hard to let old beliefs go. They are familiar. We are comfortable with them and have spent years building systems and developing habits that depend on them. Like a man who has worn eyeglasses so long that he forgets he has them on, we forget that the world looks to us the way it does because we have become used to seeing it that way through a particular set of lenses. Today, however, we need new lenses. And we need to throw the old ones away.
Kenichi OhmaeRead
Similar quotes
You have family-owned businesses that have been around for 500 years. You cannot name a corporation that survives intact for even a few decades.
Nassim Nicholas TalebRead
If one engineer at a startup tries Slack and says, 'I hate it. I am not going to use this,' that's it for us. We won't get evaluated.
Stewart ButterfieldRead
If you deprive yourself of outsourcing and your competitors do not, you're putting yourself out of business.
Lee Kuan YewRead
We've done price elasticity studies, and the answer is always that we should raise prices. We don't do that, because we believe -- and we have to take this as an article of faith -- that by keeping our prices very, very low, we earn trust with customers over time, and that that actually does maximize free cash flow over the long term.
Jeff BezosRead
Companies that get confused, that think their goal is revenue or stock price or something. You have to focus on the things that lead to those.
Tim CookRead
If you are a new startup company, try not to arouse the interest or suspicion of your competition; especially if they are a bigger company. They can crush you while you are still in your startup phase. Lie low while still strengthening your bottom line.
Richard BransonRead