Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works

Unlock uncommon strategic clarity by transforming vague plans into precise, winning choices others overlook

A.G. Lafley

8 Key Insights

About This Book

This guide empowers leaders and aspiring strategists to abandon guesswork and craft genuine, winning strategies. By demystifying the heart of strategic thinking, it reveals how bold choices—rather than incremental tweaks—are the key to standing out, gaining true competitive advantage, and sparking transformation at any scale. Through compelling real-world cases, you’ll learn to move beyond wishful visions or generic best-practices and instead build an integrated system of actionable decisions that consistently deliver results. Expect a practical playbook that blends deep insight with a clear-eyed, do-it-yourself approach, showing you how to navigate complexity, unite your team, and ignite sustainable growth—even in fiercely competitive environments.

About the Author

A.G. Lafley is the celebrated former CEO who led Procter & Gamble through one of the most successful corporate transformations of the 21st century, while Roger L. Martin served as Dean of the Rotman School of Management and is renowned for pioneering strategy thinking in both business and academia. Together, they distill decades of frontline experience into a practical and inspiring methodology, blending deep research with actionable wisdom. Their partnership, rooted in a hands-on approach to real-world challenges, offers both credibility and clarity for anyone seeking to master the craft of strategy.

Biggest Takeaway

Readers will gain the ability to define what winning truly means, align teams around clear aspirations, and choose exactly where and how to compete for the greatest impact. They’ll develop the confidence to make hard, focused decisions (and say no to distractions), build reinforcing strengths, and create management systems that turn strategy from a wish list into organizational muscle. By mastering these principles, you’ll not only sharpen your strategic mindset but also unlock greater value in your business, career, or personal projects—outpacing rivals who never move past the basics.