# Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters

By Simon Hørup Eskildsen · 2020-10-01 · Book by Richard, rated 3/5 · https://sirupsen.com/books/good-strategy-bad-strategy

Good strategy isn't 3D-chess conjured at an LCD-induced board meetings guided by a shaman and superior industry acumen, as the book explains:

> Good strategy almost always looks this simple and obvious and does not take a thick deck of PowerPoint slides to explain

That's the main takeaway. Be suspicious if anyone tells you strategy is anything more complicated than that.

Bad strategy:

* Goals aren't strategy (without action and ability to identify obstacles)
* Ambition (plenty of people have ambition without a strategy)
* Motivation
* Charisma

Good strategy, nothing magical:

* Simple
* Prioritization (sacrificing important things is a sign you're doing it right)
* Proximate and ultimate objectives
* Clearly identifies obstacles / bottlenecks