POLYTECHNICUNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

QUOTABLE QUOTES RELATED TO STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

Activity no. 1

Presented to Prof. Marifel Javier

Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Sta. Mesa, Manila

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Completion of the Subject Strategic Management

By

MAC KIRBY S. GONZAGA

BSBA-FM 3-11s

November 16, 2022

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QUESTIONS:

1. If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail - Benjamin Franklin

This quote by Benjamin Franklin means that planning is critical to the success of
our endeavors. However, in order for things to work, the plan must be cohesive and
organized. Without proper planning, or even planning in the first place, the chances of
success are most likely to fail. Mr. Franklin just want to emphasize that we need to do
actions if we really need to achieve our goals and objectives. The importance of doing
things correctly from the start, which is proper planning, can mitigate potential risks
that we may face and help us accomplish our life ambitions. Success does not occur
by chance; rather, it is the result of our efforts and determination in our actions. This
is why, if you do not strive and take the necessary actions, you cannot succeed and
appear to be planning to fail.

2. My favorite quotes on failure is this: “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll
never come up with anything original.” — Ken Robinson
Failures are common occurrences in our everyday lives. We do well at times and
struggle at others. Although, some people refuse to accept the reality that some
things do not go their way, such as their ongoing projects failing to meet their
expectations or making a minor error on their tasks. They are afraid of failing and
being on the losing end. When you are not prepared to be wrong, you cannot yield
anything original because you lack the capacity to recognize what is really right from
what is incorrect. We must realize that we can learn from our mistakes, but only when
we truly accept our failures will we understand their significance. Being willing to be
wrong makes seeking desirable results easier because we can identify which aspects
of our work differ from others, resulting in more unique outcomes.
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3. “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the self-reliance of every one of its

members.” Emerson
Individuals bear no responsibility or obligation to follow societal norms. Society
forces us to conform to and meet their standards. It could be how we dress, what we
eat, or even how we express ourselves to others. We must acknowledge that being
true to ones self is acceptable, as is believing in our own ability to overcome life's
challenges. We do not need to be liked or approved by others because it undermines
our ability to think for ourselves. Behaving according to our personal desires rather
than what society tells us. Ignoring the violent reactions of those around us can lead
to a more peaceful environment and even make us better people who strive for
greatness through our own efforts.

4. “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” —Michael Porter

There are numerous opportunities in our existences that can be beneficial to our
future. Even so, an entity must understand that not all of it should be pursued. When
a company is just getting started, a strategic plan must focus on the overall aspects of
the business, with a process for identifying all of the available opportunities and
selecting only what is truly required. Recognizing what they do not need to do can
help them get closer to their goals and produce more effective work. That is why
trade-offs exist, where decisions are made, and a proper approach is required.
Therefore, a successful journey can be achieved by developing a strategy that
recognizes the things that are essential for the business as well as deciding what not
to do.

5. “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. It takes a touch of
genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction” —Albert Einstein
With their skills, abilities, and passion, anyone can accomplish great things.
Though, several individuals who are truly intelligent make things look effortless. Some
people claim being smart while actually making things more difficult. They explain,
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interpret, and perform tasks in ways that others cannot comprehend. If you are truly
intelligent, you will know how to approach situations in the most efficient and
straightforward manner. Let's put it into context. A child will inquire of two people as to
how trees produce food. The smart man will go on and on about the Kreb Cycle,
Photosynthesis, how chloroplasts do this and that—complicated. Meanwhile, a truly
wise person will explain to the child that "it makes food by taking the sunlight and the
water you give it." This implies that true geniuses can make complex things
comprehensible and provide knowledge that can help us face the difficulties we face.

6. "The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary
may speak” —Hans Hoffmann
There are countless moments in this world that make our lives worthwhile.
However, we do not need many things just to achieve our goals. We should recognize
that when we are working, performing tasks, or engaging in other activities to make
our dreams a reality, we require a clear mind to focus on what truly needs to be done.
Having unnecessary things in our daily lives can erode our capabilities and suppress
our efforts to become better individuals. "Simplicity is beauty," as many people say.
For me, simplicity is sufficient, where we only obtain the necessary tools to become
effective in many areas and make valuable contributions to our society. Removing the
unnecessary things from our lives could improve everything and even allow us to
determine what is truly important in order to succeed.

7. “An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is
the ultimate competitive advantage” —Jack Welch
This quote implies that every organization should be able to adapt to changes in
the economy's state. Many businesses have been able to operate and survive in their
respective industries for decades because of their willingness to respond to our
society's evolving pathways. This can be seen in the modern era, where technology is
prevalent, and many businesses make the necessary changes to their systems and
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processes to accommodate the advancement of these instruments. Some are unable

to do so, resulting in losses and even the closure of their business. As a result, an
organization's ability to analyze, efficiently, and effectively use relevant knowledge
within their field can provide a significant competitive advantage over other entities.

8. The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or
ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where
they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the
adventure with them” —Denis Watley
Setting our goals is similar to navigation; without it, we will not be able to reach
our destination. This is the reason why people failed to succeed, because they are
incapable or unwilling to do the necessary planning and strategy for their activities.
Winners can do anything to make their dreams come true, including enduring difficult
paths to make things right and good, as well as sacrificing everything in order to
succeed. Only a few people can reach the top because of their dedication and
passion, as leaders who inspire their followers to see what they envision for the
future. They are winners not only for themselves, but also for the people who support
and share the burden they bear. Their story demonstrates that even the seemingly
impossible can be accomplished; still, we can only triumph if we possess qualities
similar to theirs.

9. Building a visionary company requires one percent vision and 99 percent

alignment” —Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, Built to Last
This quote emphasizes the importance of everyone in the same organization
working together. It is true that vision is critical for a business to have a guide and
purpose in their operations. However, it is far more important to align the team in
order to achieve the desired success and growth. Consider this: the company exerts
the most effort in displaying the company's vision, yet everyone executes their
respective tasks in a different manner. We can see that a vision is useless when
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employees, workers, managers, and others do not understand their duties and do not
focus on the true goal. A company must hire the right people who have the skills and
knowledge to communicate the appropriate tasks to other employees. This will direct
the business on great opportunities and provide the resources needed to achieve
great results.

10. After a business implements a strategy, competitors will react, and the firm’s
strategy will need to adapt to meet the new challenges. There is no stopping point
and no final battle. The competitive cycle continues on perpetually. Produce and
compete or perish” —Thomas Timings Holme
Many companies should always be prepared to compete in the business world.
With their ability to devise solutions to problems and seize opportunities, this process
should never be abandoned in order to cultivate substantial accomplishment. They
must think outside the box to differentiate themselves from competitors and attract
potential customers and investors. If they do not adapt to public demands, other
companies will capture the spotlight and take the necessary steps to become the best
in their industry. This is why competitiveness ensures the continuous improvement
and long-term growth of organizations, companies, and small businesses, where they
compete for chances to excel and keep the economy healthy.

11. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” —Leonardo Da Vinci

A person who possesses, exhibits, and exemplifies a degree of simplicity can
have the most profound experience in their lives, which embodies sophistication. A
clear mind will keep you away from the stresses of the world. A simple lifestyle can
already satisfy your desires and even bring more energy to the things we love. In
another sense, simplicity can help you break down complex information because
having a mindset that cultivates a healthy lifestyle aids in understanding potential
problems. This quote only serves to remind us that being simple is sufficient, and to
appreciate the small details that occur to produce better results when we take steps.
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12. We tend to think that, in a traditional organisation, people are producing results
because management wants results, but the essence of a high-quality organisation is
people producing results because they want the results. It’s puzzling we find that hard
to understand, that if people are really enjoying, they’ll innovate, they’ll take risks,
they’ll have trust with one another because they are really committed to what they’re
doing and it’s fun” —Peter Senge

All people have the ability to learn, but the systems they must navigate frequently
discourage introspection and active participation. In addition, people might not have
the resources and principles to help them make sense of their circumstances. This is
why a company must implement a variety of strategies to keep their employees
motivated at work. It could be monetary compensation, team building, or even
incorporating games into the workplace on occasion. The significance of these
experiences is what stands out when people are asked what it's like to be a part of a
great team. People talk about being connected to others, being generative, and being
a part of something bigger than themselves. Employees will undoubtedly appreciate
what they have in their work, resulting in better results, which the company always
desires first and foremost.

13. Like a human being, a company has to have an internal communication

mechanism, a ‘nervous system’, to coordinate its actions” —Bill Gates, co-founder
Microsoft

Without an internal communications strategy in place, employees experience a

loss in morale and performance on the part of both the employees and the business
as a whole. It is never too late to consider implementing an internal "nervous system"
if your company doesn't already have one. After all, an organization's workforce is its
life. Employees will maintain the organization's operations and provide beneficial
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results with a strong internal communications strategy in place. Additionally,

employees feel more connected— and this in turn create camaraderie— when they
receive regular and consistent updates and have easy access to both high
management and their team members.

14. Strategy 101 is all about choices: you can't be all things to all people —Michael
Porter
Between strategy and operational effectiveness, there is a fundamental
difference. Making decisions and trade-offs are all part of strategy, as is consciously
choosing to act differently. Operational effectiveness is about making decisions that
you shouldn't really have to make; it's about doing what's right for everyone and what
every company should be doing. Setting boundaries for what you're attempting to
achieve is essential to strategy. Without a strategy, a company will attempt anything.
It's unlikely that you'll succeed in your endeavors if all you're attempting to accomplish
is essentially what your competitors are doing. For a corporation to think it can
provide the same type of goods as its competitors and last for a very long time is
tremendously arrogant. This is particularly true now, when information and money are
moving so quickly. When you compete on operational effectiveness, you are taking a
very dangerous risk by betting on your rivals' incompetence.

15. If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got —
Einstein
There are several keys to progress: mastering one art to the point where you're
the absolute best at it, or learning many different things and honing them to
respectable levels. Although both are appealing, one clearly outperforms the other.
As the saying goes, a jack of all trades is a master of none, but a master of one is
always better than a jack of all trades. If your one skill does not get you through a
particular situation, it is ultimately useless. However, if you have honed a variety of
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skills to a high level, your versatility will be your weapon in any situation. That is why
the company requires a diverse workforce with diverse expertise. They will be the
weapon that a company needs to combat any challenges it may face, both now and in
the future.

16. The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists
in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the
unreasonable man —George Bernard Shaw
It is a common practice when someone attempts to fit into the society in which we
currently live. Some people, on the other hand, strive to be the ones who persuade
others to break the cycle and bring their innovative mindset to the world. It may
appear unreasonable because there is no need to change when everything appears
to be fine. Even so, the unreasonable man saw things that we cannot see, so they
want to make changes to address society's naivety. They are the ones who have the
ability to shape humanity's future by inventing and make people adopt from their
works. It is truly fascinating that they have the courage to stand while others sit and
shoulder the responsibility of making progress for a better future.

17. There are no old roads to new directions —The Boston Consulting Group

As time passes, everything could change. When new challenges arise, our old
methods will not work, especially if we are unfamiliar with them. I relate this quote on
the significance of innovation given how this major shift has characterized human
development in the era of technology. Inventions that have fundamentally altered
human experience abound in popular journal business sections, from agricultural
drones that provide farmers with new ways to increase crop yield to genome editing,
and producing goods and services as quickly and efficiently as possible. The topic of
innovation has also gained traction within organizations, and there is no shortage of
advice and suggestions for business leaders on how to develop an innovation
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strategy or increase the quantity and caliber of ideas in order to improve

organizational life. In conclusion, innovation is very important in all aspects of life
because it brings new ideas and gives us a new direction to build new roads for our
future.

18. Minds are like parachutes; they work best when open —T. Dewar

Every person you encounter has knowledge that you don't. Everyone has
something to teach you. Talk to them and pay attention to them. It provides you with
fresh insights and concepts. It doesn't necessarily mean something didn't happen just
because you don't think it did. You will pass up chances to learn amazing things if you
have a narrow mind. Being open-minded entails being responsive to a wide range of
concepts, claims, and data. Being open-minded is typically regarded as a virtue. It is
essential for critical and logical thinking. This does not imply that having an open mind
is simple. When we learn new information that contradicts our preexisting beliefs,
being open to new ideas and experiences can occasionally cause confusion and
cognitive dissonance. Learning and developing personally depend on one's capacity
to modify and revise out-of-date or untrue beliefs.

19. The result of bad communication is a disconnection between strategy and

execution” —Chuck Martin, former Vice President IBM

Communication is essential in an organization for each department to perform

their duties and responsibilities efficiently. It serves as the foundation for them to
organize, plan, lead, and make sound decisions to attain their specific goals.
Management's inclination to formulate strategy through communication with
subordinates, customers, and higher-ups can boost workplace motivation and change
everyone's attitude by being in a good mood. With this kind of premise, execution will
be more efficient and faster, as all personnel understand the processes they
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implement and what role they play in the organization. Failures of some businesses to
execute their strategies can be traced back to poor communication. When a CEO's
visions are disconnected from the ways of the employees, it can contribute to the
losses that may occur. They are unable to effectively communicate what goals must
be met, resulting in a waste of time and effort in developing strategies and failing to
execute them properly.

20. Strategy is a pattern in a stream of decisions” —Henry Mintzberg

Developing a strategy provides a roadmap for the company to know where they
are going. If a strategy can be intended, it can also be carried out. To put it another
way, saying that a strategy is a plan is insufficient; we also need to say that a strategy
is a pattern, more particularly, a pattern in a stream of actions. Strategy, whether
intentional or not, is consistency in behavior. Plans may not come to fruition, but
patterns may emerge unexpectedly, according to the definitions of strategy as plan
and pattern. Plans are intended strategies, but patterns are realized strategies; as a
result, we can distinguish between deliberate strategies—in which previously existing
intentions are realized—and emergent strategies—in which patterns form without or
in spite of intentions.

21. Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant
things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things” —Miyamoto
Musashi, legendary Japanese swordsman
People have a tendency to overlook the things they should do and forget to
consider what is important and what is not. To fully understand the correlations and
relationships of variables within a specific subject, it is preferable to take a bird's eye
view. We can fully decipher the information and data that we collect and devise a
solution to counteract the disaster that could occur at any time. When we face
enemies— the difficulties in our daily lifestyle, we must not limit ourselves to what our
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eyes can see. Instead, make an observation to the factors that may affect the
situation. Identify all of the possibilities for developing a strategy; even minor details
can help. As a result, when we master it, we can immediately react regardless of the
circumstance and see everything at the same time without conscious effort.

22. Strategy Execution bridges the gap between a great business strategy and great
performance.
The execution of the workforce's daily tasks can be a factor in determining the
effectiveness of a strategy and having a great performance in the company. When
employees understand their responsibilities as well as the tasks that must be
completed, it indicates that the strategy was able to communicate and distribute
properly to everyone. Since the reason of implementing strategies is to succeed, the
actions taken by the workforce may produce good results, indicating that their
performance meets or exceeds the expectations of the higher-ups. Furthermore, in
order to truly close the gap of having great outcomes, the execution of the business
strategy must be aligned with their vision. Therefore, executing the plans that
management develops reflects the usefulness of the strategy, increasing their
performance and allowing them to continue to move forward within their desired
timeline.

23. Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory, tactics without strategy is
the noise before defeat.” —Sun Tsu, Ancient Chinese Military strategist
In Sun Tzu's time, strategy meant first taking a close look at the battlefield and
assessing the forces, strengths, and vulnerabilities of the opposition. The decision of
where, when, and which military units to use in the attack followed. Generals would
issue instructions to the proper regiments, battalions, or squadrons once the strategy
was established. The commanders of these forces would concentrate on the
strategies that would help them achieve their declared goals. Tactics and strategy, in
other words, go hand in hand. The business environment is a battlefield for a
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company, where they compete with other entities to strive for growth and success. As
the quote implies, they can only imagine victory if they don't take action. Without
strategy, the business has no direction at all; even if they take actions, they will fail
because they do not know what they are doing.

24. Execution is a specific set of behaviors and techniques that companies need to
master in order to have competitive advantage. It’s a discipline of its own” —Ram
Charan and Larry Bossidy, Execution
The manager must be personally and actively involved in the business. Execution
requires a thorough understanding of a business, its employees, and its surroundings.
Only the leader or manager can make execution happen through intense personal
participation in the content and specifics of execution. The leader must be in charge
of these three critical processes: selecting subordinate leaders, charting a strategic
course, and managing operations. Big ideas are useless unless they are translated
into specific actions that you can take. Without implementation, breakthrough thinking
fails, learning is rendered ineffective, people fail to meet their stretch goals, and the
growth comes to a halt. Thus, if the company is able to check all of these factors and
reduce the potential risks, they will have a significant advantage over other
businesses that struggle to take initiatives in order to survive in their respective
industries.

25. In life, as in football, you won’t go far unless you know where the goalposts are”
—Arnold H. Glasgow
Goalposts in football pertain to the location of the ball in order for your team to
earn points. In relation to reality, each individual must have their own life goal. Having
that future ahead of you inspires you and presents you something to strive for—a
goal. Despite having these goals, one can almost always get stuck in a rut; be lost for
a while. Just like in this sport, your opponents will try to distract you so that you
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cannot see the goalposts. If you only focus on your problems, it will steal your
dreams, desires, and make you miserable because you will be unable to keep your
aspirations alive. However, if that person remembers their plans, they will be able to
see the light at the end of the tunnel, despite being trapped in the cave of darkness.
They will begin to stand on their own two feet as their goals motivate them and give
them a tendency to take actions in order to take the ball away from themselves. Once
they have the ball, the desire to continue living, they will begin to run, to take actions,
until they reach the goal and win the game, which is meeting their life objectives with
a smile.