Having observed many global and start-up organizations struggle with the definition, application and execution of strategy, I decided to do something I vowed to never do, compare business to sports. Let’s start by assuming that strategy is defined as the game plan that provides a team direction on how to play and achieve their goal, and execution is the specific moves the team plays during the game. Using this example as the foundation, the following are key rules that will help your team strategize and play a successful game.

What game are you playing?

Is your company operating with a clearly defined business strategy that has been shared with the team? Imagine Duke or USC playing a championship game without a game plan. It’s imperative, no matter the size or stage of your company, to ensure it has a clearly articulated purpose. The strategy must be clear and frequently communicated so that everyone playing on the team understands what’s expected of them and they can connect to the bigger picture. The lack of a clearly articulated and executed strategy can have many unintended consequences, such as a directionless team who creates their own game plan and plays their own game.

It’s said that if you throw a stick anywhere in the West, it has a 50% chance of hitting a salesman.

It’s possible I’ve made that up, but put “sales” into Google or Amazon and see what you get. A bombardment of exclamation points, grinning suits, and promises of riches to come that span from cheap psychological tricks to learning from Jordan Belfort to just shouting at you. So perhaps it’s not that far from the truth.

Seems like people who work in sales are always looking for a better, smarter way to hit targets, sell more, or leapfrog the competition, and whole industries have come into being to support those efforts.

But there’s one secret weapon I haven’t seen mentioned; remarkable when you consider the thousands of books, courses, and consultants out there. Which either means I’m onto something that nobody else has figured out, or I’m so wide off the mark that for me, the mark is nothing more than a figment of my middle-aged, bemused mind. (I’ll let you be the judge.)

The secret weapon isn’t a startling new approach, it’s not a trick, and it doesn’t need you to sell your soul.

La trayectoria de crecimiento de las economías de frontera no es la misma que la de China en las últimas dos décadas, o la de Estados Unidos hace cien años. El rápido crecimiento en estos países de bajo ingreso ha seguido su propia trayectoria y posiblemente no es la que usted se imagina.