Outthink the Competition

"Outthinkers" are entrepreneurs and corporate leaders with a new playbook. They see opportunities others ignore, challenge dogma others accept as truth, rally resources others cannot influence, and unleash new strategies that disrupt their markets. Outthink the Competition proves that business competition is undergoing a fundamental paradigm shift and that during such revolutions, outthinkers beat traditionalists.

Outthink the Competition presents stories of breakthrough companies like Apple, Google, Vistaprint, and Rosetta Stone whose stunning performances defy traditional explanation and will inspire readers to outthink the competition. Core concepts in the book include:

• Discover the Eight Dimensions of Disruption
• Learn to play by the Outthinker Playbook
• Develop the Five Habits of the Outthinker
• Implement the Outthinker Process

It's time to buck tradition in order to stay ahead. Outthink the competition and uncover opportunities hiding in plain sight.

PART 1 THE FOUNDATION 1

Chapter 1 Evolution through Revolution 3

Chapter 2 Today’s Business Revolution 14

PART 2 THE NEW OUTTHINKER PLAYBOOK 29

Chapter 3 Move Early to the Next Battleground 35

Chapter 4 Coordinate the Uncoordinated 43

Chapter 5 Force Two-Front Battles 54

Chapter 6 Be Good 64

Chapter 7 Create Something Out of Nothing 75

PART 3 THE FIVE HABITS OF OUTTHINKERS 85

Chapter 8 Mental Time Travel 87

Chapter 9 Attacking the Interconnected System 94

Chapter 10 Frame Shifting 100

Chapter 11 A Disruptive Mind-Set 106

Chapter 12 Shaping Perceptions 118

PART 4 APPLY THE OUTTHINKER PROCESS 127

Chapter 13 Step 1: Imagine 131

Chapter 14 Step 2: Dissect 137

Chapter 15 Step 3: Expand 144

Chapter 16 Step 4: Analyze 149

Chapter 17 Step 5: Sell 155

PART 5 REBUILDING THE ORGANIZATION FROM WITHIN 161

Chapter 18 Phase 1: Establish Multiple Points of Differentiation 163

Chapter 19 Phase 2: Create Playbook Asymmetry 173

Chapter 20 Phase 3: Construct an Outthinker Culture 181

Appendix A The Research 193

Appendix B The 36 Stratagems 197

Appendix C Tools 211

Notes 217

Index 225

KAIHAN KRIPPENDORFF is is a business strategist, author, and investor. A former consultant with McKinsey & Co., Kaihan works globally with ambitious large and medium-sized corporations, including Microsoft, L'Oreal, and Johnson & Johnson, teaching executives and entrepreneurs how to unleash their strategic creativity to raise their organization's performance. Kaihan also blogs for FastCompany.com, is an active public speaker, and is regularly featured in key business media outlets. His previous books include The Art of the Advantage, Hide a Dagger Behind a Smile, and The Way of Innovation. Learn more at www.kaihan.net.

FORGE UNEXPECTED PATHWAYS TO WIN STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE

In business, you can face disruption in one of two ways. Like most people—and most companies—you can fall back on tried-and-true rules. They've always worked in the past, and you hope they'll work for you again. Or, you can recognize that the game has changed, and look beyond your current playbook to create an entirely new strategic reality.

If you pick the second option, then you are ready to Outthink the Competition. Written by business strategist and popular Fast Company blogger Kaihan Krippendorff, this groundbreaking guide identifies and appeals to a new generation of "outthinker" entrepreneurs and business leaders. These innovators succeed in today's breakneck business environment by spotting overlooked opportunities, leveraging underutilized resources, and seizing asymmetric advantages.

Outthinkers beat their rivals not by being bigger or stronger, but by producing breakthroughs. Outthink the Competition gives you and your team a proven system to harness this strategic creativity, and presents stories of outthinker companies that are successfully reshaping their industries, including Apple, Google, Rosetta Stone, Tesla Motors, and many more. You'll discover how you can:

• Understand the nature and potential of today's business revolution
• Force your competition into two-front battles that give you the high ground
• Develop the Five Habits of the Outthinker
• Construct a true Outthinker culture
• Apply the Outthinker Process for game-changing ideas
• Incorporate systems thinking and cognitive science principles into your approach
• And more!

If you want to win a strategic contest, don't let your opponents set the terms. Instead, Outthink the Competition and make the unexpected choices that will leave the competition disoriented and you moving ahead to master the next challenge.