Must-Win Battles

1© Cone Advisor

What is must-win battles? (business strategy)

• Rather than spreading resources too thin, companies must focus on 3 to 5 key challenges — Must-Win Battles (MWBs)

• MWBs are crucial to achieving their business goals. • A well-chosen MWB

• make a real difference, • Be market focused, • create excitement, • be specific and tangible, • and be winnable.

Source http://www.mustwinbattles.com2© Cone Advisor

Modeling - From Mantra to Key Activities

Step 1: Make a mantra

Step 2:Define 3-5 Must-

Win Battles

Step 3:Define 1-

3 Key Means of the Battle

Step 4:Define 0-3

Key Activities of the Mean

1

2

3

4

3© Cone Advisor

Southwest Airlines’ Mantra

• The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.

Source: www.southwest.com

1

4© Cone Advisor

The Essence of Who You Are – Make a Mantra

• A mission statement, while touted as necessary for any company, often is not representative of the true meaning of the company

• A mantra is shorter 3-4 words and captures the essence of the organization.

• Examples* • Wendy's "Healthy Fast

Food“• FedEx "Peace of Mind“• Nike "Authentic Athletic

Performance“• Mary Kay "Enriching

women’s lives"

© Cone Advisor 5 Source: Guy Kawasaki, Stanford 20.10.2004 Entrepreneurial Thought Leader Speaker Series

*(Examples are not from companies. These Mantras Kawasaki proposed as a mantra for the company.

© Cone Advisor 6

Modeling your Must-Win Battle

Must-Win Battle

2-3 Strategic Means(Focus areas of the

Battle)

0-3 Critical Incidents (Key Activities, Simple Rules)

Source: Ala-Mutka 2008

2

3

4

Key Means and Activities as Simple Rules

• 1.Decision making rules• Midsized cities & secondary airports

• 2.Boundary rules• No Meals, No Seating

• 3.Activity rules• Point-to-point service

• 4.Performance rules• 25-minutes gate turnaround

© Cone Advisor 7Source: Ala-Mutka 2008 p. 185-188, see also Eisenhardt & Sull 2001 Simple Rules

MWB Model

© Cone Advisor 8

Profitable Growth Efficiency of

Processes

Productivityof Resources

CustomerValue

Must Win BattlesMeans

Key Activities

Source: Ala-Mutka 2008 p. 165

Themes of Must-Win

Battles

1. Get started

• Successful MWB kick-off event is only the starting point of your journey.

Source: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/must-win-battles-lessons-from-successful-and-failed-journeys/9© Cone Advisor

2. Inspire towards difference

• The most successful MWBs are those that tap into the groups’ aspirations and inspire everyone to do things differently.

Source: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/must-win-battles-lessons-from-successful-and-failed-journeys/10© Cone Advisor

3. Incentives & Drivers

• Balance the “carrot and stick” in leading your MWB journey - Drivers to the success

• Discipline• Incentives

Source: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/must-win-battles-lessons-from-successful-and-failed-journeys/11© Cone Advisor

4. Commitment

• Enlarge the group of people leading the journey. The broader the leadership, the greater the probability of success.

Source: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/must-win-battles-lessons-from-successful-and-failed-journeys/12© Cone Advisor

5. Be Agile

• A MWB journey is not a quick fix.

• Persistence, • discipline, and • continually raising

performance targets over time will enhance your prospects of success.

Source: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/must-win-battles-lessons-from-successful-and-failed-journeys/13© Cone Advisor

Cone Made softwareTrial 30 days

Pyydä 30 pv trial tästä linkistä (in Finnish)

Ask for 30 days trial (in English)

© Cone Advisor 14

© Cone Advisor 15

Visual Strategy Model + Must Win Battles

• Jukka Ala-Mutka, Strategiamalli (in Finnish), Talentum 2008.• Strategy Modeling• Visual method• Agile Strategy

• Peter Killing & Tom Malnight, Must-Win Battles, 2005• MUST-WIN BATTLES WILL SHOW YOU

HOW TO IDENTIFY AND AGREE ON THE CRITICAL CHALLENGES THAT WILL MAKE OR BREAK YOUR BUSINESS, AND HELP YOU TO MOBILIZE PEOPLE AND RESOURCES TO ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS BY COMBINING STRATEGIC FOCUS WITH EMOTIONAL COMMITMENT.

Source http://www.mustwinbattles.com

More information

www.coneadvisor.fi (Finnish)

www.coneadvisor.com (English)

16© Cone Advisor