143 pieces on strategy, 2012 to 2026.
Everything the partners have published on strategy, decisions and growth. Twenty-five have been re-edited for 2026; the rest are kept as written and dated. The questions have not changed.
Updated for 2026
Twenty-five pieces that still hold, re-edited by the authors.
What makes Stripe different: three strategic decisions, not one product
From a two-person idea to a $95 billion valuation. The product gets the credit. Three decisions on assumptions, segments and industry shifts did the work.
M&A as a competitive advantage: build the capability, do not rent it
Outsourcing deal sourcing looks cheap and feels safe. The companies that compound through acquisition keep the capability inside.
How to get started with digital transformation without trashing the company
Digital transformation is the most overhyped topic since Y2K. One hotel CEO was told to replace every alarm clock in every room. He didn't have to. Neither do you.
What is a strategic review, and why should you show up?
Two words that excite some executives and fill others with dread of PowerPoint and stale sandwiches. Done properly, it takes four hours.
What Amazon buying Whole Foods tells you about your own industry
The grocers were not caught by a better competitor. They were caught by an assumption nobody had written down: that this could never happen.
How to become a better decision maker
A company's performance is the sum of the decisions made on its behalf. Most executives have never been given a process for making one.
Big decisions, more predictable outcomes
The board decisions that determine shareholder return are made the same way whether the number is thousands or billions. Four steps improve the odds.
Predictable EBITDA is a strategy, not an accounting outcome
Rappaport made the case in 1981: strategy should tie back to the financial statements. Making EBITDA predictable is how a management team proves it does.
Three things that prevent the "we almost hit our numbers" syndrome
Missing the target monthly, quarterly, annually, with cloudy explanations everyone accepts. A high-performance "but" culture has a cure.
Knowing your customers: how and why it pays
"I am always amazed to learn who our customers are and why they buy from us," a DAX 30 CEO said over a glass of wine. His competitors were learning faster.
The biggest budgeting blunder that kills growth
Every year the machinery runs, the spreadsheets land, and the number is the magical ten percent. Same as last year. That is the blunder.
How to tell your CEO he is wrong, and not get fired
Mid-year numbers are in, everyone has a theory, and the CEO has just announced the cause. Test every theory against one set of data.
Is your strategy missing the ROIC link?
Plenty has been written on setting strategy and implementing it. Almost nothing on the one page between them: what the company must build, buy or stop, and what it returns.
Mixed up on metrics? Three gaps and three fixes
"You can't manage what you don't measure" endures because it is true. It is also where most companies stop thinking.
Four reasons not to outsource your strategic thinking
Waiting for a consultant to deliver the silver-bullet strategy is not a plan. Your executives have to author it, or they will not own it.
Five irreplaceable traits of great strategic thinkers
"The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do." The executives who live that line share five habits.
Strategy: a process, or an event?
Seventy percent of the CEOs we asked hold an event to mark that strategy happened. Then they get on with business. The market does not.
Five strategy killers to remove from your company
In almost every company we have worked with, the same five obstructions stop strategy from being used as a decision tool.
The largest barrier to implementing goals is the number of them
In a stagnant sector, one company grows double digits. The difference is rarely luck. It is what the leader refused to do.
Buying capabilities is easy. Buying the right ones is not.
Active M&A years produce many deals that never earn their business case. The ones that do were bought to fill a gap the strategy had already named.
What are your customers thinking, and what can you do about it?
Every board asks the question. Very few get the answer in a form that reaches a decision.
Competitive decision making: build the advantage, then decide from it
Ask your executive team to define competitiveness and the answers will vary. That variance is the first impediment to decisions that deliver results.
You know your strategy is working when the company can say no
Too many projects, too many priorities, and a supply-chain executive asking how to turn the beast around. The answer was a two-letter word.
Every strategy sits on assumptions. Write them down.
Boeing and Airbus bet on opposite versions of how air travel would unfold. The problem is never the assumption. It is leaving it invisible.
There are only two doors to profitable growth
Every CEO drives home wrestling with the next growth opportunity. Most are searching in too many places. There are two.
2026
Strategy, AI, and Digital Ecosystems in Automotive (duplicato)
Thinking Dimensions Managing Partner Scott Newton joins automotive industry expert Fabian Hoeft in discussing how AI and Digital Ecosystems are changing the mobility sector looking forward to the future.
2024
Strategy, AI, and Digital Ecosystems in Automotive
Thinking Dimensions Managing Partner Scott Newton joins automotive industry expert Fabian Hoeft in discussing how AI and Digital Ecosystems are changing the mobility sector looking forward to the future.
Using AI to solve the toughest challenges in Sustainability
MINING: 40 million direct employees representing 1% of the total world's…
2023
How can you improve your Go To Market success rates?
How can you improve your Go-To-Market success and deliver outstanding impact in your organization?
The Backlash on ESG and What You can do
Turn on the television, open a newspaper, and browse online and you will notice a growing trend on ESG.
What is your approach to Value Creation?
How do you create value?Creating value is the ultimate goal of any M&A transaction, a bona fide way of boosting top-line growth and shareholder return.Yet according to PWC, more than 70 percent of…
2022
The Future is Not X+1
What do you think about ESG?And how is the regulatory environment reshaping ESG investing in EMEA?This is THE Hot topic and big question that investment committees, boards, private investors,…
How to Craft Strategy and Venture Capital for Digital Transformation
Digital Transformation is about fundamentally changing the way your organization creates value.
How will you build your future strategy for Bold Growth?
What does an M&A portfolio look like in 2023 and beyond for your business?
How well are your communications understood? Consider McDonalds and A&W
A&W restaurants had a big concern, and a bigger…
How do companies build business model portfolios?
Pick up any of the latest publications and thinking on the future of Strategy, and you are sure to come across recommendations to build portfolios of new business models.
Stop Wasting people's time with Meetings
How impactful was your last meeting?If the answer was “less than I would have liked,” here are some actions to bring out your best self (and make your meetings more effective):★ Articulate Your…
Intentional Ecosystems: How are you investing consciously in your ecosystem?
American innovator and Department store magnate John Wanamaker is remembered for his reflection ““Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don't know which…
Are You Ready for Bold Growth?
Join Thinking Dimensions Global CEO Tim Lewko together with Managing Partner Scott Newton on Friday, February 4th at 09A EST (New York), 14:00 (London) for an interactive discussion on the brand new…
2021
What does it take to perform effectively as a Board?
Strategy and Leadership expert David Lancefield speaks with Thinking Dimensions Managing Partner Scott Newton on Board Dynamics and Executive Team…
4 Actions Transformational Leaders Take
Are You Tired of transformation?You might be. Or you may just dislike the term.Yes, successful business transformations are rare.
Your Most Valuable Competitive Advantage is about to Evaporate
Your Most Valuable Competitive Advantage is about to Evaporate.
Building the Transformational Company- Case Study in Impact
Scott B. Newton is the managing partner at Thinking Dimensions, a management consultancy with offices in the Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO PERFORM EFFECTIVELY AS A BOARD?
Managing Partner at Thinking Dimensions Scott Newton spoke with David Lancefield, an expert in Strategy and Leadership about decision-making by the top teams:★ As a Board or Exco member you should…
The NCAA Upsets Aren’t What You Think They Are
Co-Authors Scott Newton and Al H. Ringleb explore what is going on in March Madness and the links to…
2020
RESOLVE Don't REPORT: A Simple Way to Gain Organizational Speed
Many executives and employees are overwhelmed or getting burnt out from the extra calls and conferences they have to attend on-line.
How You can Use Simulations to Improve Your Strategy Today
What are some innovative techniques you can use to improve your Strategy today?
DELTA AIRLINES, LUFTHANSA, AND QATAR AIRWAYS ANNOUNCE NEW SKYCONNECT ALLIANCE
URGENT PRESS RELEASE: FEBRUARY 31,…
5 Powerful Reasons Why Your Strategy Requires a Renovation
The artificial cover of PPP and Main Street programs (i.e. US) are stop-gap measures to delay (even if extensions exist)- EAT or be EATEN time.
How well does your company structure reflect what you claim your Strategy is?
Hertz liked to claim it was highly customer focused and responsive to market needs.
What do Just Eat Takeaway.com's Acquisition of Grubhub and Sailor Giovanni da Verrazzano Share?
Verrazzano discovered New York Bay in in 1524. A little off-course from a route to the Pacific but nonetheless he was out their braving the elements and in search of something new.
Five Top Business Books CEOs Should be Reading Today
1. Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit by Alex…
Do you want to be more Strategic? Start by studying a Golden
The analogies of “wartime” CEO are being used…
Complete This 1 Page Covid Scenario Analysis to Reduce Your Risk
Here's how to set up the COVID 19 Scenario Analysis for you company, business unit, region, functiona or team.
How Covid 19 Can Be A Catalyst to Make Your Company Stronger
A crisis creates the best and the worst situations. Covid can be a catalyst to reshape and fix what you knew or felt was wrong but did not act on it.
Digital Platforms and Ecosystems
Digital Platforms and Ecosystems are creating new opportunities for your business.
How well is your business prepared for Industry Shift? Consider Energy
A 17 word quote in an interview by Teck CEO Don Lindsay canceled the $20.6 Billion Oil sands project in Alberta, Canada on February 24, 2020.
Bose Cuts the Retail Cord: What Industry shifts mean for YOUR business
Bose, a company with a long-term reputation for Strategic agility and top notch customer experience, have announced they will close all of their retail stores in North America and Europe.
Why the Next Piece of Clothing you Buy will be made by a Robot in Your Local Store
Why the Next Piece of Clothing you buy will be made by a Robot in your…
2019
Superbcrew CEO Interview - Over 250,000 Use KandF™ Critical Thinking Tools to Resolve Issues Faster and with Better Outcomes
Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to Thinking Dimensions Global Consulting?
Your Strategic Assumptions Can Make or Break You - Just Consider the Recent Demise of the A380
Your Strategic Assumptions Can Make or Break You - Just Consider the Recent Demise of the…
Where do your profits come from?
Scott Newton is a Managing Partner at Thinking Dimensions specialized in Strategy and M&A.
How to Mitigate Your Risk on Brexit...Now
Brexit has the full attention of many executives and companies world-wide.
Is Your Strategic Planning Agile Enough?
Being "agile" seems to be the buzz word in many companies and mainstream media.
How you can use your Strategic Review to increase performance
Why are some organizations able to use this format successfully while others struggle?
What you need to know about Due Diligence for Joint Ventures
In the past 20 years, I have had the opportunity to work on the development of a number of joint ventures.
Back to the Future: Why the Automotive Industry is Facing an Existential Strategic Crisis
Why are 1 out of 8 Japanese renting a car and then not even moving it?
How you can accelerate your business integration following a merger and acquistion
You have bought the business. Now the challenging part starts.
2017
Mergers & Acquisitions 2017 Virtual Round Table
In the December 2017 Mergers & Acquisitions Virtual Round Table by Corporate LiveWire, TDG partner Scott Newton had the pleasure of contributing to the discussion.
The Book Consultants Don’t Want You to Read...
Making Big Decisions Better was reviewed by Charles Franklin on Small Biz Trends.
Tools to Develop a CEO Mindset
To deliver better—more consistent, predictable, and sustainable—financial results, you must outfit your key leaders and managers not just with the mindset of a CEO but also with the toolbox CEOs use…
How to Create a Simple and Stimulating Strategy
I had the pleasure of speaking with Rachel Salaman from MindTools about how to create a simple strategy in August, and below is her writeup of our interview.
Discussion with Skip Pritchard: How to Set and Simplify Business Strategy
"I’ve read many books on strategy. There are many that are theoretical.
4 Skillsets Of A Strategic CEO
Boards and owners are increasingly expressing dissatisfaction with the CEO they have appointed.
3 Essential Steps to Better QBRs
P&L owners of the world are busy at work crafting slide packs for upcoming quarterly business reviews (QBR) for their company, business unit or market.
3 Challenges You as a CEO Will Face in 2017
2017 has commenced both full of outstanding promise and a few potential pitfalls.
2016
In 2014 Tom Petty had the No. 1 Spot on the Billboard Hot 100: Why Your Metrics may no Longer be Working
In June 2015, the number-one Billboard album in the United States was not Beyoncé, nor Jay Z, nor Taylor Swift, nor any of the other artists that the radio, MTV, and streaming systems around the…
Airbnb now has a Market Valuation Higher Than Marriott Hotels
Airbnb—the web portal that enables the renting on a short-term basis of properties—has a market valuation today estimated at more than US$24 billion—surpassing the 1927-founded Marriott group that…
You Must “Own the Product” for Long-term Success
Yesterday I was fortunate enough to spend the day working with one of our longest-term clients, who has been successful many times in creating long-term shareholder value.
Customers of the Future- Decide Which Customers You Must Attract
The casualty list of failed companies that focused on pleasing the customers they had as opposed to targeting their customers of the future continues to grow.
What Makes Your Business Better? If You Don't Know, Figure it Out!
I started my career in sales and clearly remember my first “big deal” 24 years ago- the buyer leaned across the table, smiled, and calmly asked “So- why should I buy from…
5 Important B2B Purchase Considerations
The way B2B purchases are researched and decided on are evolving rapidly.
2015
FastTrack your career and your company? Internationalization - Here's How
Internationalization is a valid alternative many companies turn to when looking for growth.
Are your teams spending time and resources as they should?
Open any of the major economic and financial media this year and you will immediately notice a number of stories concerning organizations that are being recognized for excellent execution of strategy…
3 Secrets to Make Market Intelligence Timely and Actionable
There are actually 3 secrets or truisms when it comes to market intelligence.
Don't Be a Winner - Be Profitable
"It’s a winner!" the CEO yelled out, "This investment is going to be winner.
How to Calibrate World Class Alignment with Your Strategy
Alignment to the critical few strategic priorities is key. No one has unlimited resources.
Act Don’t React: How to Frame Issues for Better Results
As an executive or manager when was the last…
Many Organizations Say, "Our People Are Our Greatest Asset..."
Enter the headquarters of many organizations, peruse corporate websites, open annual reports, and review company overviews and you often find the statement "People are our greatest asset" and "Our…
Dropbox vs the World- What we can all learn from a $10 billion startup
Drew Houston, CEO of Dropbox, in an interview with Fast Company referred to the question that keeps many leaders awake at…
Will it Make the Boat go Faster?
In September of 2000 during the Sydney Olympics the British 8+ rowing team achieved something unexpected.
Changes Bring Benefits - Staying the Same Rarely Drives New Results
Change- the digital revolution- the dynamic chance to own the future- working smarter with agility and speed!
2014
With 2015 around the corner- what will you do differently next year?
For many of us, particularly in Europe and the Americas, it is coming close to the end of the year and the annual holiday season when there is a tradition to set resolutions for the New Year to do something differently.
Why Bad Strategy Happens to Good CEOs
CEOs get paid to own and deliver EBITDA results in a predictable and sustainable way.
Speed Drives Success
...only when you are accelerating in the right direction. 5 ways to test for success increasing profitability: One of the most frequent reasons cited for executive turnover and in particular C-Level…
What Strategically will bring your company to the next level?
Your stakeholders are all searching for What’s next. And incremental growth of X.X% is hardly what they are searching for.
Facing Strategic Issues? Decisions on Priorities are Key
How to move from theory to meaningful action Regular strategic updates in business often have a low degree of impact on the organization, and as a result low level of engagement from management in…
7 Minute Leader- A quick overview of a Strategic Check Up
Your Executive Leadership team all come into your Strategic update or regular executive management session with a number of issues to clarify and decisions to be taken.
Why Decisions Fail: – #6 It’s Viewed as an Event vs a Process
1. Speed: Processes are repeatable and recognizing the process you currently use for decision making brings clarity to the factors and information you need (and don’t need)to include in your decision.
Why decisions fail? – #5: Stakeholders requirements not considered.
A high profile example of not considering Stakeholder results is the three time delayed Berlin airport (in English you can read about it…
Why decisions fail? – #4: Risks are not considered
So why don’t organizations (i.e. the managers and leaders making the decisions) do a more complete job of assessing risk in the decision making process?
Why Decisions Fail- #3: The purpose for a decision is seldom clear.
One of the key reasons meetings are held is to take decisions.
Why Decisions Fail?: #2 – When faced with a decision we start with alternatives.
So when executives are faced with a decision it seems only natural to start thinking about alternative courses of action to consider.
Why Decisions Fail?- Introduction: Understanding the Process and Avoiding the Pitfalls
Many of today’s articles on decision making seek to debate rational vs intuitive decision making or spirit the advances in neurological research.
Why Decisions Fail? #1: When faced with a crisis we accept the first answer presented.
Unfortunately during a crisis many companies tend to jump to the first available alternative that seems as if it will work and head in that direction.
2013
Why Strategic Transformations Fail. And What CEO’s Can Do to Avoid it.
When we work with companies one of the first things we do is establish a baseline of how strategic decisions are currently being made.
10 Symptoms that your company needs to unlock a pricing strategy: #10: You Don’t Have a Pricing Strategy
The last symptom may be the hardest one to hear – your company does not have a pricing strategy.
10 Symptoms that your company needs to unlock a pricing strategy: #8: Poor Segmentation
Segmentation is often talked about in companies but seldom reevaluated based on asking ” What are the critiera that we collectively use to determine our segments – both product and markets”.
10 Symptoms that your company needs to unlock a pricing strategy: #7: Pricing driven by cost
The “cost plus” model of pricing is very attractive in that it is very…
10 symptoms that your company needs to unlock a pricing strategy: #6: Systematic way of pricing is not uniformly applied by your sales force
We asked a group of 15 sales representatives from the same company to tell us the price they would quote the same customer for a given product and quantity.
10 symptoms that your company needs to unlock a pricing strategy: #4: Losing Volume
When we ask this most essential question to clients we ususally get three tracks of thinking.
10 symptoms that your company needs to unlock a pricing strategy- #3: Inducements in Pricing
Over time many companies particularly in B2B come to a point where they experience what we call “INDUCEMENT OVERLOAD”.
10 symptoms that your company needs to unlock a pricing strategy -# 2: No Commodity vs. Differentiation Margin Gap
Parity – the state or condition of being equal never turns out well when used in a strategic context.
10 symptoms that your company needs to unlock a pricing strategy- #1: Margin erosion
Margin erosion is typically a symptom…
10 symptoms that your company needs to unlock its pricing strategy
For many companies pricing is viewed only as one of the 4 P’s in Marketing - i.e.
6 Critical Criteria to Evaluate and Test Your Strategic Vision
Most CEO’s and senior executives realize the new landscape they operate…
2012
Mind based competition: building the golden bridge to china
Challenge: Organizations are now forced to make customer, supplier and competitor decisions regarding China– solving the complexity of the business practices, geographic distances and cultural…
10 Symptoms that your company needs to unlock a pricing strategy: #9: One Size Fits All Pricing- why it doesn’t work
When reviewing the data of many industrials companies, we have found at Thinking Dimensions that there is frequently a “One Size Fits All Pricing” syndrome which is hampering performance and limiting sales.
Quality decision making is the ultimate purpose of an executive and manager
Quality decision making is the ultimate purpose of an executive and manager.
Entering New Markets: Timing Horizons for Emerging Markets
Today wraps up our July 2012 blog theme on entering new markets with one last question that is often on the minds and in the discussion of management leading the charge for growth: “What is the time…
Entering emerging and early stage markets- why strategic assumptions matter
As “traditional” economies for many companies are stalling for growth a common theme for many organizations is to look towards emerging and early stage markets.
New Market Entry Requires Specific Capabilities to Succeed (Read which specifically here)
New Market entry is a strategic choice that must be deliberately made.
What is New Market Entry and how do companies win?
Welcome to our latest blog theme for July, and thank you from all the Partners and Employees at Thinking Dimensions- especially to all of you who have taken the time to write in and comment on what…
Align your Executive Team to How the Five Forces Impact Competitive Advantage (i.e. Profitability)
A firm’s competitive advantage is the unique and valuable combination of capabilities a company exploits to deliver higher profits relative to the competition.
Is your competitive advantage working to generate better returns? Step 1: Know your competitive advantage.
“Is our competitive advantage working?” is a question raised in boardrooms and executive leadership team meetings around the world on a very regular basis.
Incremental Profitability through Pricing
A key question on the mind of every management team (and of course the shareholders)…
The Key Importance of making Strategic Assumptions visible early in the M&A process
One of the areas of business which rarely gets much press coverage is “Failed Mergers”.
How to Find Profit in Your Underperforming Business
During stretches of economic stress the natural tendency for CEOs and senior executives is to send the cost freeze or cutting memos to functional and regional executives.
What is in front of you this quarter?
A senior partner reads it. One page back within five working days: what we see, three questions for your team, a straight answer on fit. Confidential.
Or start alone: the five questions (PDF)