Understanding Michael Porter

t is not primarily a how-to book, in the sense that a book about aerodynamics and the principles of flight would not, alone, qualify you for a pilot’s license. This is more of a “how-to-think-about” book, one that will help you to recognize a good (or bad) strategy when you see one and to tell the difference between a solid strategy and the latest management fad.

“The essence of strategy,” Porter often says, “is choosing what not to do.”