This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans (Create a Strategy to Elevate Your Career, Community & Life)

I'm a big Seth Godin fan. He's a genius. And if your mind's a system (it is) his thoughts in this book will help optimise it. There is immense value in his writing to anyone who cares enough to let it soak in. But, to the casual reader of 'This is Strategy', it might appear to be an unfocused meander through various ideas that include what appear to be some blog posts of his. But so what? We all start from different places, and can all see things each other can't, and could do with seeing things others might already see. But as you read, the picture begins to reveal itself. So long as you're not looking for instructions, or to be told your plan or strategy (or given the 'map'). I think some people come to books like this expecting to buy the answers to their problems for £15. But what you're buying is a new mindset, and useful questions that can hum in the background as you go about your life. That's what you're buying, and ultimately, it's all probabilistic. It increases your chances that you'll notice new things, and gradually find some 'answers' in time - enough to move forwards where you'll find some more. Hard to quantify the value then because it'll come in time. Which is why I say let it percolate. My first pass through the book didn't do a lot for me (but I know the process - your first interpretation doesn't usually appreciate the deep wisdom, it takes time and reflection to arrive at that) but I knew what tool the book is and for what job. Then, over the days and nights, I've started grabbing pen and paper and scribbling away like crazy. Because it's doing the job in the way it should. I hope this helps someone approach the book in a way that makes it work for them.

I think this book is going to piss off a lot of consultants. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. This doesn’t give you a plan on a platter. It gives YOU the ability to make the plan. Which is better than a step by step guide that’ll be outdated by tomorrow. This isn’t a book on tactics. It’s about strategy - and that covers the abstracts, systems, and ways of thinking any strategy needs to succeed. A big part of this book is about facing uncomfortable truths that need to be considered to succeed and for plans to actually be deliverable. (At least deliberately.) It’s not just for marketing. It’s anything. If you’re looking for step by step ready made plans, this isn’t the book for you. There are no overblown false promises here. If you’re looking at how to make the RIGHT steps and how to make better plans, today or in a decade, this book will help you approach strategy and planning the right way. Get your highlighters out and be open minded to new ideas and ways of thinking about what strategy is and isn’t. I wish the sections were organised more formally and easier to find - there’s no table of contents - but the numbered ideas format makes it great for discussion or quick reflection as each idea is super bite sized. Good strategies can never happen in isolation, and talking about them quickly establishes what can and can’t work. To make the most of this book, you’ll definitely want to reflect on it with others.

Einstein's quote encapsulates what Seth Godin does with this book. I have read countless books on strategy and they are difficult to read, one needs to hyper focus, which is draining. It is no wonder so few of us read such books. There is a fine balance between an accessible book and a dumbed-down book. As he writes in the book, "The hard work of developing a better, more resilient strategy begins with letting go of the assumptions and goals you might be holding on to right now. “Simplify, then add lightness,” said Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus Cars. Simplify because the needless complexity we’re stuck with was only created to insulate us from fear. And lightness because our agility increases resilience." Seth Godin always manages to master that balance, even with such a tricky topic as strategy. I saw many average reviews for this book, but I think that is because most books on strategy are frameworks. I think of this book more as a series of frames, mental frames or more accurately lenses. Each of the short chapters is like a lens, these lenses compound as you add them to become a worldview, one specific for strategy. At the end of the book, you leave with a series of new lenses (a new mental model) and now you can add them to those you already have. This book is a great accompaniment to the Mintzbergs, Rumelts, Compos, Greenes, McGrath, Martins et al. A series of 17 questions shines a light on the work to be done. It brings tomorrow forward to today, right here and right now, allowing us to articulate a strategy. • Who are we here to serve? • What is the change we seek to make? • What are our resources? • What is the genre we’re working in? • Who has done something like this before me? • What systems are in play? • Am I changing someone’s status? • Why would anyone voluntarily choose to be part of this work? • What will they tell their colleagues? • Who gains in status, affiliation and power by supporting this work? • Will early support translate into more support later? • Where is the network effect? • What do I need to learn to make this work? • Who do I need to work with? • Where is the dip and when should I quit? • What will I do if it doesn’t work out? • How much is enough? It is also a deeply encouraging book: “The power you have lies somewhere between infinity and zero. It’s possible that you’ve accepted whatever arrives, adopting the posture of a cog or (worse) a victim. But we’re not powerless. Individuals organizing others with persistence and generosity change the world, and do it every day. With the right strategy and resources, we can make an impact. Sometimes.”

I'm a huge fan of Seth Godin and his work, ever since his Fast Company cover story, 'The Brand Called YOU' way back in 1996. I was so excited to receive this book and see what he'd been doing with the Authors Equity team to bring something new and unique to the market. It is unique, but in the worst way. This is a seemingly random collection of numbered entries on the wider theme of 'strategy' but it lacks any kind of organisation. There is no grouping of any kind to give the reader a sense of what area of 'strategy' might be focused on, with the commentary just jumping from thought to thought to thought. I don't believe that this is a collection of blog posts, but it could be. It was actually painful to try to read it. I've certainly sent books that don't work for me to charity shops, hoping that someone will find them as interesting and useful as I have, but I can't do that with this one. It's just too un-readable in this stream-of-consciousness setting. This one is heading back to Amazon for a refund. What I think has happened here is completely understandable, but also illustrates the need for good, firm, editorial oversight. With this new publisher's arrangement, the author has a much larger stake and control in the book project (good), but that may mean that disliked but necessary edits around structure haven't been taken on board (bad). Such a shame, as I loved the promise of what I thought that this book could be.

This book is like a teacher that refuses to simply give you the right answer. Instead, they supportively guide you to reach the AHA moment on your own. Some find this method frustrating. The lessons, though, become unforgettable. This is how knowledge becomes understanding and wisdom. As another reviewer said, let it percolate. Give each chapter space and consideration and you can't not become a strategic thinker. The examples are elemental - everywhere. After this book, you'll see the world differently forever.

I struggle to see the purpose of this book. It lacks major sources of inspiration and doesn’t provide any actionable frameworks. Instead, it feels like a repackaging of disconnected blog posts with no clear logical thread. As it stands, it comes across more as a money-grabbing initiative than a thoughtfully curated resource.

This Is Strategy is very different from other business books in that it doesn't offer an overly simplified, 5-step recipe for success. What it offers instead is a number of ideas which are intended to provoke deep thought and reflection. For that, I have found it very useful.

I bought this book to help with understanding and developing strategy for my business, unfortunately that is next to no really benefit to that in this book. It’s essentially 298 numbered paragraphs about abstract thoughts, concepts and metaphors about strategy Would absolutely not recommend for anyone that wants to actually learn about marketing strategy.