800-CEO-READ Blog

Definition of A Must-Win Battle

Must-Win Battles is a book that has been sitting on my desk for about a month. It is pretty simple: I like the cover art. It is also a Wharton School Publishing book and I have been watching their new imprint closely.

I asked co-author Tracey Keys to write 500 words on what a Must-Win Battle is. You'll find his explanation below the fold...

Must-Win Battles by Tracey Keys

Another month, another strategic initiative? Strategy is at the top of most executive radar screens. But something isn’t working. Customers are less satisfied, profits are not growing and shareholders are being disappointed. As one executive we know put it “how could we have such talented executives producing such mediocre results?�

This and many similar situations were the catalyst for Must-Win Battles (www.mustwinbattles.com). Must-Win Battles offers a solution for getting out of the complicated mess of multiplying priorities that many companies face. It is a practical process for creating focus on just three to five battles (MWBs) that you must win to achieve your most important goals. If you choose it well, a MWB:

• Has impact: On the whole organization, not just one part of it.
• Is externally focused: If you are pre-occupied with internal battles you will lose in your markets; a common external goal creates energy.
• Is tangible: Specific and measurable; generalizations such as “innovate more!� don’t work.
• Creates excitement: Goes beyond the incremental and captures the emotions!
• Is winnable: Going "beyond the incremental" does not mean impossible.

Each company’s battles will be unique to their situation, but here are a couple of examples to illustrate what we mean.

In 2000, the Carlsberg brand was losing ground. The top team addressed the problem head on, developing a MWB to expand the brand. The long-term goal – challenging to put it mildly – was double-digit growth. More focus was given to the brand in core markets, in others it was repositioned, and more money went into brand-building. New energy and excitement soon spread across the company. By 2003 the company was exceeding its targets. The benefits were not just financial (though this was substantial), but organizational as everyone aligned behind a common goal.

In the 1990s, Bill Gates fired up Microsoft by making “beat Netscape� the “must-win battle� (our interpretation, not their term). Compare this to: “develop and sell the most successful web browser.� The way the organization took up the challenge could have been radically different if they had thought about it in internal terms. The simplicity and clarity of “beat Netscape,� meant everyone knew that what they were aiming at. So energy was focused on the market not on internal conflicts.

Both these MWBs inspired people do things differently; they were exciting. And that’s where this book is unique – it explicitly recognizes that you have to tackle the “hard� and “soft� issues simultaneously if you are going to win. Defining clear strategic priorities is just one part of a must-win battle. Priorities only become real when people, across the organization, give them full commitment and get excited about making them happen.

A great strategy with no commitment will go nowhere. But a great team without a clear sense of direction will do no better. And without strong, authentic leadership at many levels, even both together are not sufficient. As one senior leader put it: we began by winning battles; we ended by transforming our organization.