Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works is a book by A.G. Lafley, former CEO of Procter & Gamble and Roger Martin, the Dean of the Rotman School of Management.
The book provides a step-by-step guide for how to develop a winning strategy for any business or organization. The authors present a framework for how to define where you want to play and how you want to win in your chosen market and offer tactical advice on how to make it happen.
The book starts by defining the five essential elements needed for any successful strategy: Where to Play, How to Win, Core Capabilities, Management Systems, and Organizational Alignment. The authors then walk through each element in greater detail and provide practical advice on how one can go about creating a winning strategy in their organization.
They then provide an example of how Procter & Gamble used this framework while Lafley was CEO to revitalize the company’s success.
Lastly, they offer advice on the importance of tonality when crafting a winning strategy. They explain that tonality can be persuasive and help determine whether people will accept or reject your strategy. They emphasize that it is important to be mindful of your words and tone when communicating your strategy to make others more likely to accept it.
Overall, Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to create a winning strategy for their business or organization. It provides a comprehensive guide to developing an effective plan and explains how tonality is important in persuading others about its merits. Whether managing a small start-up or leading a large corporation, this book offers insights to help you reach new heights in success with your strategies.
