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

In an era where AI and technological advances push us to move faster than ever, Seth Godin's "This Is Strategy" arrives with a crucial reminder: It doesn't matter how fast you're going if you're going in the wrong direction. This insight alone makes the book worth reading, but Godin offers so much more.What sets this book apart is its nuanced understanding of systems and change.Rather than pushing the typical "hustle harder" narrative, Godin helps readers see and work with the invisible systems that shape our results. His unconventional structure - numbered sections that facilitate ongoing conversations - reflects the book's core message: strategic thinking requires dialogue and perspective-sharing.The book's strength lies in its approach to change and disruption. Using metaphors like surfing ("A useful skill in surfing is picking the right place and time to go surfing."), Godin shows how to spot and leverage opportunities when systems are disrupted. This is particularly valuable as we navigate the AI revolution - it's not about resisting change but understanding how to make it work for us rather than letting it use us.Particularly valuable for:- Leaders seeking to create meaningful change without burning out- Entrepreneurs navigating technological disruption- Anyone feeling pressured to "move faster" without clear direction- Teams wanting to have better strategic conversationsThe companion Strategy Deck (54 cards with 5 million possible combinations) adds a practical, interactive dimension to the strategic thinking process.Most importantly, this book encourages us to pause and ask essential questions before accelerating: What change do we seek to make? Who are we serving? Are we pushing against the wrong things? In our AI-driven world, these questions matter more than ever.This isn't just another business strategy book - it's a compass for navigating complexity while staying true to your purpose. Whether you're leading a team, running a business, or seeking to make an impact, "This Is Strategy" helps you ensure you're moving fast in the right direction.

I haven't read the book yet, I assume I'll love it, as I love everything Seth Godin does, hence the 5 stars.The only reason I write this review is to give a heads up that my copy came with deckle edges, whis is very unconventional for a business book and not specified in the description. I have to admit I personally wasn't pleasantly surprised about it, but it wouldn't be fair to make this cosmetic detail affect the book star rating. But I still wanted to put this comment out there in case anyone is buying it as a gift, the deckle edges may come across as a defect.If it is not supposed to have deckle edges please someone let me know! :-)

Let me start by saying that I love Seth Godin. His thinking and his writing. I’ve read pretty much all of his books and one of my favorite books is The Icarus Deception.As soon as I heard that he was publishing a new book, I headed to Amazon and pre-ordered it. I waited two months for this book to be released.Unfortunately, this books is just not good.As another reviewer has commented, it’s a book composed of 250+ individuals thoughts and ideas without any clear logic or continuity. The book is way too abstract and disjointed.I struggle just to read the first 60 “chapters”, hoping that at some point it would get better but by 72 I’ve had enough and called it quit.I’m disappointed. I’ll go re-read The Icarus Deception to try to get my spirits back up!

Learning to make better plans under Seth Godin's guidance has transformed my life. As a member of Purple Space, I –– together with others –– went through Seth's strategy workshop as he was finishing the writing of the book. Doing the work he proposed in one of the sessions, I realized that the project I'd been devoting my time, money, and energy to had no future. It was a failure of strategy. Thanks to what I learned during the sessions and the book, I saw I needed to quit and pivot. Now that I'm starting a new project, I'm applying the lessons in This Is Strategy to make sure that the project 1) is viable and 2) becomes what it needs to become. Because, as Seth puts it, "Strategy is the philosophy of becoming."

In our complex, ever-changing world, strategic thinking is essential. And if you follow Seth Godin’s advice, you’ll gain the clarity you need to think strategically and make better plans.Godin is a business genius and master storyteller, which is what makes his books so powerful. In This is Strategy, he helps you take all the things you know (how technology has evolved, how cultural and societal changes happened, and the stories behind legendary business successes and failures) along with some things you probably don’t know and pull it all together to build a strategy that will work. It doesn’t matter if you’re a solopreneur, a huge public corporation, or somewhere in between, you can use Godin’s advice.This is Strategy is 298 numbered riffs (defined as a monologue or spoken improvisation on a particular subject—and it’s a great format for a book) that make individual points illustrated with relatable real-life examples as they build your understanding of what to do and *not* do as you create an effective strategy.When I read a book that has a few strong takeaways, I feel like my time was well spent. This is Strategy has them on almost every page. It's packed with incredible nuggets of wisdom. You’ll keep pausing to ponder and figure out ways to use what you just read. Get the book for yourself and have everyone on your team read and discuss it.