Great strategists say 'no'

摘要

Egypt, 2010, just before the Arab Spring. There were about 600 people - a mixed crowd of executives, entrepreneurs, professors, charity executives and policymakers - in the Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Cairo. It was unseasonably hot for October. The delegates were excited, chattering loudly. Then Chairman Adham Abdel-Salam introduced the first speaker of the day. Harvard Professor Michael Porter took the stage at the Next Generation Strategy Conference. He talked animatedly about strategy, citing cases from IKEA and Paccar. He also explained the economics of strategy and talked about shared value, the next big thing in strategy. But my favorite part was still to come. Watching intently from my front row position, I wondered when he would talk about the importance of "no".