Transforming Complexity Into Clarity
How do you navigate all of the challenges that come with running a business and transform them into actionable insights that drive continued success? In this episode, Rich sits down with Alex Atzberger, CEO at Optimizely, a digital experience platform that helps more than 10,000 businesses orchestrate their entire content lifecycle, monetize digital experiences and experiment across all customer touchpoints. He and Rich discuss the principles for successful M&A strategies, the qualities of high-performing leaders, and simplifying big ideas.
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Key Quotes
“It’s important on your notepad or whatever you use to keep notes not to try to write down 50 different things, but really focus on the three big ideas. You need to be able to write them on crayons on a piece of paper…And that can really transform companies because most good businesses and so on were not built on, like, long, complex books or something. They were based on simple, sharp ideas. And that’s really, for me, insight that moves companies.”
“All these statistics about companies’ M&A being so poor and companies failing on this and that, it just is, in my point of view, where people might have just outsourced some of the thinking to other people rather than really owning it.”
“If you go into the building, and you see a snake in the hallway, what do you do? Now, there’s two possible reactions. One reaction is that you see the snake, and you run into a conference room, and you get ten people on a call, and you say, like, hey, I need to talk to you about the snake that’s in the hallway, what should I do? That’s one option. The other option is you just kill the snake when you see it.”
Practice Makes Profit
How to use the 3A Strategic Thinking Framework to think, plan, and act strategically every day.
League of Strategic Minds
How should a business describe its purpose?
Winsights: Ideas for Advantage
A. G. Lafley, former CEO of Procter & Gamble said, “There simply is no one perfect strategy that will last for all time. There are multiple ways to win in almost any industry. That’s why building up strategic thinking capability within your company is so vital.” What are you and your team doing to develop your strategic thinking capability so that you can continue to evolve your business model for long-term success?
References
Time stamps:
(00:41) Deep Dive Interview with Alex Atzberger
(44:43) Practice Makes Profit: Applying the Three A Strategic Framework
(45:55) League of Strategic Minds: How should a business describe its purpose?
(47:48) Winsights, Ideas for Advantage: A.G. Lafley, former CEO of Procter & Gamble, said, “There simply is no one perfect strategy that will last for all time.There are multiple ways to win in almost any industry. That’s why building up strategic thinking capability within your company is so vital.” What are you and your team doing to develop your strategic thinking capability so that you can continue to evolve your business model? For long-term success.
Links
Submit a question for Rich to the League of Strategic Minds
Alex Atzberger on LinkedIn
Rich Horwath on LinkedIn
Rich Horwath on YouTube
Rich Horwath on Instagram
Strategic Thinking Institute Website
Inc. Magazine’s Top 4 book for 2024: STRATEGIC Book
New executive development platform: Strategic Fitness System
Sign up for Rich’s free Strategic Thinker Newsletter
About the Guest
Alex Atzberger
CEO of Optimizely
About the Host
Rich Horwath, Founder & CEO
Strategic Thinking Institute
Rich is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of eight books on strategic thinking, including his most recent work, STRATEGIC, which was named a “top 4 must-read business book for 2024” by Inc. Magazine, and a national bestseller by USA TODAY. He has been the top rated keynote speaker on strategic thinking at national conferences for nearly 20 years.
This Episode Brought to You by the Strategic Thinking Institute
Sharpen your strategic thinking for long-term success.
The Strategic Thinking Institute has developed hundreds of resources to help leaders at all levels think, plan, and act strategically. In addition to facilitating workshops and strategic coaching with executive leadership teams, STI has assessments and products for functional groups such as sales, marketing, finance, human resources, operations, information technology, account management, business development, accounting, clinical, medical, and other technical specialties. STI’s experience in a wide range of industries brings your team the best-of-breed practices and resources to enable your team to outthink and outperform the competition. Remember, be strategic … or be gone.
Strategic Minds Podcast Episodes
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 1 – Gold-Medal-Winning Strategy
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 2 – Blank Page to Billions: How An “Ideas Guy” Strategizes
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 3 – Strategic Leadership Shaped by a Service Mindset
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 4 – CEO as Architect of the Future
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 5 – Constructing Creative Strategy
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 6 – AI, Atoms, and the Science of Strategy
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 7 – Storytelling to Strategize
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