— Overview
The notes stay with that reading of the book, and they stop before a later list of terms.
— Contents and key concepts
A model as the summary of a strategy
The notes take up Cynthia A. Montgomery’s The Strategist, issued in Korean by Leaders Book. A business model, they write, is the result of making a strategy: what has already been decided is then summarized and set in order. Mission and vision should be fixed first, and only then a strategy; other models are there to be used as a benchmark once that purpose is clear. Among the methods they list for reference, once a firm is fitting a strategy to itself, are names such as a blue-ocean strategy, a black-hole strategy, and a “big three” strategy.
AmerCable, and a chief executive in a hard year
AmerCable, a company that makes industrial cable, is for them a firm that put a good strategy into practice. Around 2002, they write, the company had entered a difficult stretch, and CEO Bob Hogan wanted a new strategy that could turn the situation around. In the past, strategy had been set mainly by people at the top. Now the firm decided to bring many more staff into the work. It did not stop there. Each quarter it held a meeting to check the strategy and revise it, and that meeting, too, was held with the staff. What draws the writer to the book is, they say, its inductive shape.
Everyone a strategist, and a word from BCG
Montgomery, whom they call a leading voice in management strategy, stresses in this book that every employee should be able to become a strategist and contribute to the firm’s growth. A Boston Consulting Group interview with chief executives of major companies around the world found, as they report it, that the firms doing well were more likely to involve staff when a strategy was being made. The reason, they write, is not only that a better strategy can be made that way, but also that the staff themselves can be raised as able strategists. The notes leave the subject there, before a later list of terms. The same Korean report, written out more fully, sits on CampusDown.
Sources
- Student notes on Cynthia A. Montgomery, The Strategist, and on the AmerCable example.
Last updated 15 November 2026
Frequently asked questions
How do the notes place a business model next to strategy?
A business model, they write, is the result of making a strategy: a summary of the strategy already set. Mission and vision should come first, and only then the strategy; other models, including names they list such as a blue-ocean strategy, are tools to consult once that order is clear.
What company example do they take from the book?
AmerCable, a maker of industrial cable, which they call a firm that put a good strategy into practice. Around 2002, when the company had entered a hard stretch, CEO Bob Hogan wanted a new strategy that could reverse the situation. Where strategy had once been set mainly by the top of the firm, many more staff were now brought in, and the firm held a meeting each quarter to check and revise the strategy, again with the staff.
What larger claim do they draw from Montgomery and from BCG?
Montgomery, they write, stresses that every employee should be able to become a strategist and help the firm grow. A Boston Consulting Group interview with chief executives of major companies around the world found, as they report it, that the stronger firms were more likely to involve staff when a strategy was being made — both to arrive at a better strategy and to raise strategists among those staff.
Refund policy
- Change of mind / refund requested after partial use / more than 7 days after purchase
◆ Exceptions
- File errors / cannot download or open the file
◆ How to request a refund: send a 1:1 inquiry via Customer Service at the top