Thinking Strategically: The Competitive Edge in Business, Politics, and Everyday Life

“Strategic thinking is the art of outdoing an adversary, knowing that the adversary is trying to do the same to you. All of us must practice strategic thinking at work as well as at home.”

Though we often try to avoid competitive situations—since they’re “zero-sum games” where only one side can win, and losing is painful and sometimes costly—everyone must now and then play for the victory—to land a job, get a date, defeat an opponent in a sports match, or just win an argument. Teaching how do to this scientifically is the purpose of Thinking Strategically. 

“[…] you must recognize that your business rivals, prospective spouse, and even your child are intelligent and purposive people. Their aims often conflict with yours, but they include some potential allies. Your own choice must allow for the conflict, and utilize the cooperation. Such interactive decisions are called strategic, and the plan of action appropriate to them is called a strategy.” 

Interactions with others involve overcoming their opposition and enrolling them in teamwork. Game theory helps with figuring out how to do these things. Sometimes the answers are non-intuitive and surprising, but those who accept these strange conclusions have a better chance of coming out on top. 

“The branch of social science that studies strategic decision-making is called game theory. The games in this theory range from chess to child-rearing, from tennis to takeovers, and from advertising to arms control.” 

For each competition in life, there are one or more techniques from game theory that can improve play. The goal of the competitor is to find the best such techniques and apply them skillfully to win the day. With practice, this approach improves a player’s chances.