Strategy First

In The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, seasoned defense analyst Edward N. Luttwak reveals how the Romans were able to combine military strength, diplomacy, and fortifications to effectively respond to changing threats. Rome's secret was not ceaseless fighting, but comprehensive strategies that unified force, diplomacy, and an immense infrastructure of roads, forts, walls, and barriers. Finally, as barbarians began to penetrate the empire, Rome filed large armies in a strategy of "defense-in-depth," allowing invaders to pierce Rome's borders.

A business's overall strategy may be set at board level, but many people throughout the organisation will be involved in deciding that strategy and implementing it - making decisions that are strategic in nature. On these decisions hangs the future of the business: how successful it is, even whether it is successful. Yet business history is full of strategic decisions, both big and small, that were weak, poorly conceived and consequently disastrous.

TEDx speaker and financial activist Mel Dorman went from dumpster diving to a multimillion-dollar portfolio—not by winning the lottery or working 80-hour weeks, but by cutting out the banks and partnering directly with sellers. Now, she’s sharing the exact blueprint that helped her do it.

PREVAIL OR VANISH. In the savage landscape of modern business, there are only two outcomes: conquer or be erased. For over 20 years, forged on business frontlines across 30 countries, I witnessed a stark reality. I worked with—and against—the apex competitors. They operated with a ruthless logic that most people never learn, or choose to ignore. The 9 Warrior Laws are not optional rules. I did not invent them. They are the unforgiving physics of power—the operating system behind the U.S. Army, NATO doctrine, and history’s greatest empires. These are the same Laws that armed Genghis ...

You open your CRM and find three versions of the same client. Your file system has a folder called "Final FINAL v3." Your spreadsheet has columns that no one on your team can explain — including the person who made them. And somewhere in the back of your mind, a voice is saying: I should probably be using AI by now. Here is what that voice isn't telling you: so should everyone else. And almost no one's business is ready for it. Not because the technology is too advanced.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming every industry, but if you want to win with AI, you have to put it first on your priority list. AI-First companies are the only trillion-dollar companies, and soon they will dominate even more industries, more definitively than ever before. These companies...

Master the Most Powerful Hour of the Trading Day. Every morning at 9:30 AM, the opening bell rings and the market explodes with volume, volatility, and opportunity. Institutional orders hit the market. Overnight news moves stocks. Momentum traders rush in. For prepared traders, this creates some of the biggest profit opportunities of the entire trading day. But for most traders, the opening bell feels chaotic. They chase momentum. They enter too early. They exit too late. And they get trapped in false breakouts. Professional traders see something different. They see repeatable patterns, ...

George Washington’s Memoirs of a Life Forged in Liberty To narrate George Washington's life in his voice, providing readers with an intimate, first-person account of the pivotal events in his life, from his youth through war and nation-building to his final years, revealing the man behind the myth. George Washington’s personal journey from a young boy in Virginia to becoming the Father of His Country shows his internal thoughts and growth, providing an intimate first-person perspective. The American Revolution and Washington's military leadership are illustrated through key battles, ...

One of the most important reasons to study chess openings is to understand how and where to develop the pieces. Knowledge is power, and chess is no exception. Many beginners do not spend time even on basic opening preparation. That is why the opening is a brand new experience every time. Some chess openings are better than others. Using a time-tested opening can help you improve your game and even boost your chance of winning. Recognizing and understanding the best openings can increase your confidence in the beginning phase of the game. But, how can you chose the best opening among others ...

Was the outcome of the First World War on a knife edge? In this major new account of German wartime politics and strategy Holger Afflerbach argues that the outcome of the war was actually in the balance until relatively late in the war. Using new evidence from diaries, letters, and memoirs, he fundamentally revises our understanding of German strategy from the decision to go to war and the failure of the western offensive to the radicalization of Germany's war effort under Hindenburg and Ludendorff and the ultimate collapse of the Central Powers.

Rick Howard, the Chief Security Officer, Chief Analyst, and Senior fellow at The Cyberwire, challenges the conventional wisdom of current cybersecurity best practices, strategy, and tactics and makes the case that the profession needs to get back to first principles.

In The Win-Win Wealth Strategy: 7 Investments the Government Will Pay You to Make, celebrated entrepreneur, investor, and bestselling author Tom Wheelwright, CPA, transforms the way you think about building wealth and challenges the paradigm that tax incentives are immoral loopholes. Backed by deep research in fifteen countries, he identifies seven investing strategies that are A-OK with governments worldwide and will fatten your wallet while making the world a better place. 

What if the reason your projects keep failing, your culture keeps disappointing, and your best people keep leaving has nothing to do with strategy? In People First, organizational leader Melody J. Laughlin makes the case that the most expensive fiction in modern business is the idea that project management, organizational leadership, and human resources are three separate disciplines. They are not. They are three dimensions of a single, unified challenge — and organizations that treat them as silos pay for it every single day. Drawing on decades of experience at the intersection of people...

"A grand theory that grapples with AI and the forces shaping our world." — KIRKUS REVIEWS, one of America's most respected critics Reached #1 Amazon US Best Seller in Strategy & Competition, Strategic Management and Business Technology Innovation in January and February 2026 Shortlisted for The Business Book Awards 2026 in Smart Thinking A threshold moment has arrived Most organisations optimise relentlessly — for speed, cost, and output. And in doing so, quietly weaken their capacity to innovate. This book explores the tension at the centre of modern progress: efficiency and innovation...

On July 10, 1943, the largest amphibious invasion ever mounted took place, larger even than the Normandy invasion 11 months later: 160,000 American, British, and Canadian troops came ashore or were parachuted onto Sicily, signaling the start of the campaign to defeat Nazi Germany on European soil. Operation HUSKY, as it was known, was enormously complex, involving dramatic battles on land, in the air, and at sea. Yet, despite its paramount importance to ultimate Allied victory, and its drama, very little has been written about the 38-day Battle for Sicily.

In Strategy: A History, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives.

Seize the Market Before It Leaves You Behind The opening bell does not wait for hesitation. In the first hour, price action reveals momentum, direction, and opportunity, but without a plan, that same window can become confusion, emotional trades, and avoidable losses. Win the First Hour: ORB Setups with Clear Direction gives you a structured Opening Range Breakout approach to help you read the morning move and trade with purpose. A Practical ORB Trading Blueprint You will learn how to identify high probability ORB setups, read breakout levels, confirm moves with volume and price action, and...

When World War II broke out in Europe, the American army had no specialized division of mountain soldiers. But in the winter of 1939-40, after a tiny band of Finnish mountain troops brought the invading Soviet army to its knees, an amateur skier named Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole convinced the United States Army to let him recruit an extraordinary assortment of European expatriates, wealthy ski bums, mountaineers, and thrill-seekers and form them into a unique band of Alpine soldiers.

As IMD professors Goutam Challagalla and Frédéric Dalsace show in this eye-opening and practical book, it's due to a basic strategic misalignment and a misunderstanding of what actually drives customers' purchase decisions.

Ever wonder why you've had more strategy conversations than you can count, but not a single strategist discussion you can remember? That's because strategy has made a career out of ignoring the strategist—until now. Strategists First will help you learn what every strategist needs to know, including: who strategists are, what strategists believe, how strategists behave, where strategists thrive, when strategists strike, and why strategists matter.