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One of the most practical books that shaped how I think about strategy is Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works by Roger L. Martin and A. G. Lafley.
Over the years, I’ve read dozens of strategy books. Many are theoretical. Some are inspirational. Very few are operational.
This one is different.
It turns strategy into a set of clear, deliberate choices that leaders can actually apply.
Drawing on their experience leading Procter & Gamble, Martin and Lafley strip away the jargon and reframe strategy in simple terms:
Strategy is about winning. And winning requires making choices.
Not vague ambition. Not “best practices.” Not incremental improvement everywhere.
Clear choices about:
- where to play
- how to win
- what capabilities to build
- what not to do
That last one is often the hardest.
Why it resonated with me
What I appreciate most about the Playing to Win framework is that it forces focus.
In leadership roles, especially in technology and transformation, there is always more demand than capacity. Every team wants priority. Every initiative feels important.
Without a strategy, you end up spreading resources thin and delivering average outcomes across the board.
This framework reinforces something I’ve seen repeatedly in practice:
You cannot win everywhere. You have to choose where you will win.
That mindset has influenced how I approach:
- portfolio prioritization
- technology roadmaps
- organizational design
- vendor selection
- and investment decisions
In short, it pushes you to align effort with impact.
Learn directly from the source
If you want a quick introduction before reading the book, Martin also shares many of these concepts in a webinar with Harvard Business Review, walking through real-world examples and how the framework applies across industries.
It’s a helpful preview of the thinking behind the model.
Final thought
If you lead teams, allocate budgets, or make trade-offs, you’re already doing strategy, whether you label it that way or not.
This book simply gives you a clearer language and structure to do it better.
Few business books earn a permanent spot on my shelf. This is one of them.