The tagline for the ClearPurpose publication is “Tools and Tales for Sound Strategies” and most stories fall in one of four categories: Tools, Tales, Tutorials, and Books. It’s always interesting to me to see which stories actually gain traction with you, my readers, so I thought I would share with you the 10 stories from ClearPurpose that received the most attention in 2021.

This past year I wrote and published 66 articles. The category with the most articles (about 42%) was Tales, with most of those articles being a walkthrough of the strategic startup journey of SDG Games. About 30% of the articles were about Books, and about 14% each were on Tools and Tutorials. When looking at the top 10 articles, the mix shifts significantly towards Book reviews (50%), with none being Tutorials, and the rest being split between Tools (30%) and Tales (20%).

With those summary stats out of the way, let’s dig into the actual top 10 articles:

#10: The Customer Network Strategy Generator

The Customer Network Strategy Generator is like a pilot’s pre-flight checklist, walking a strategist through the steps necessary to develop winning customer-facing strategies in this new digital age. By following this process, you will have the best chance of identifying concepts that are worth pursuing because they can have a meaningful impact on the things that matter to your business.

#9: Book Brief: The AI-First Company

Ash Fontana is a managing director of Zetta Venture Partners, an investment fund focused on AI. In The AI-First Company he draws upon the lessons he’s learned through the companies he’s invested in and worked with to share a very broad array of observations about how companies should think about, leverage, and manage data and artificial intelligence.

#8: Book Brief: Why Startups Fail

Why Startups Fail has become one of my favorite books to recommend to entrepreneurs. The first third of the book covers the decisions that early stage startups face and the three patterns that lead to failure during that phase. The second third covers the decisions that scaling startups face and the associated failure patterns. The final section of the book deals with the challenges founders of failing startups face, both in the wind-down and beyond. As an entrepreneur, wherever you are in that journey, this book has valuable lessons for you.

#7: Why Verizon Failed As A Media Company

Verizon has confirmed the rumors. They are selling Verizon Media, the collection of assets anchored by Yahoo and AOL that the company had acquired in 2015–2017. They are getting $4.5B for 90% of the combined business. They spent nearly $10B to acquire them in the first place. And yet, this is a win for the company.

#6: How Big is the SDG Games Market?

A common way that startups explain market sizing to potential investors is by talking about it at three levels: Total Addressable Market (TAM), Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM), and Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM).

#5: The Strategy Wheel

In The Strategist, author Cynthia Montgomery introduces the Strategy Wheel as a framework that visualizes and records how a system of value creation supports an organization’s purpose. The Strategy Wheel presents a holistic view of the business in one picture showing how all the parts of the business are strategically aligned. With a few minor tweaks, I think this tool can be a great way for a business leader to “keep their eye” on all aspects of strategy execution.

#4: Book Brief: The Great Game of Business

The Great Game of Business is an enjoyable book with ideas that any manager can implement to some extent. I like the authors’ folksy writing style. I feel like I was having a conversation with Jack Stack about his business. I really enjoy reading the stories of businesses as they work through critical moments and The Great Game of Business is full of those stories. I appreciate the frameworks and lists that provide structure to the lessons being shared.

#3: Book Brief: The Strategist

Cynthia Montgomery taught the strategy unit of Harvard’s Entrepreneur, Owner, President (EOP) program for five years. The Strategist summarizes the lessons she taught, and the lessons she learned, in this program. Her starting thesis is that leaders need to be strategists and she then walks through the fundamental components of what it takes to lead your organization strategically. Throughout, she uses many relevant and engaging stories to prove her points and to provide examples for how to be strategic.

#2: Book Brief: Radical Product Thinking

In Radical Product Thinking Radhika Dutt has provided a thoughtful new perspective on innovation and entrepreneurship that should help leaders take a vision-driven approach that can more effectively and consistently impact the world in the ways that they intend. She champions a vision-driven approach to product development and management, so she starts with how to articulate and document the vision you have for improving the world in a way that then impacts all other areas of innovation and operations.

#1: The Diamond-and-Square Framework

In Why Startups Fail, Tom Eisenmann introduces the Diamond-and-Square (DaS) framework. Like the Business Model Canvas (BMC), the DaS represents the value proposition, the marketing activities that drive customer acquisition and retention, and the technology and operations (resources and activities) that all translate into the revenues and costs that feed a profit formula.

Let me know if there are any particular articles you’d like to see in ClearPurpose in 2022!

As one who started my career writing software, when I hear “operating system” I naturally think of computer operating systems (OS). A computer OS provides lots of benefits to both software developers and the people who use the computer. In general, the OS defines the standards for how other software works with the computer and provides a standardized interface between the different components of the entire system (both hardware and software). 

I think the analogy of a computer OS to a business OS is valid. The business OS should simplify introducing innovations into the business in a way that protects the integrity of the entire business. The business OS should provide mechanisms for gracefully dealing with conflicts within the business. The business OS should also simplify everyone’s interactions with the business (employees, customers, investors) by ensuring consistency and hiding complexity.

In reality, your business already has an operating system. It just may not be well documented, efficient, effective, or consistent. And if it’s not any of those things, then it probably isn’t helping you much in terms of supporting innovation while protecting the core. A business operating system must take into account the nature of the business and its mission/culture. The reason for implementing the business operating system will also strongly influence how it is developed. I encourage you to be very intentional about your operating system. Let me know if you need any help.

Read the full article here.

The Strategy Sieve is my preferred tool for making hard, strategic decisions. 

According to Wikipedia, a sieve is “a device for separating wanted elements from unwanted material” — and that’s what the Strategy Sieve does. You “pour in” a bunch of potentially good strategic options, shake things up, apply some pressure, separate out the wanted from the unwanted, and determine the best strategy for moving forward.

The goal in using the Sieve is to make a strategic decision. This decision can usually be framed as a question: Who? What? When? Where? How? The Sieve helps the team answer that question with a high level of confidence, a high level of consensus, and a high level of clarity. Most importantly, it helps the team understand Why the answer chosen is the right answer, and why the other potential right answers are actually wrong for you at this time.

In the article linked below, I walk through the 6 steps involved in using the Sieve and also provide a video tutorial of using the Sieve for a specific strategic decision example.

Click here to read the full article.

From Impressed To Obsessed, by Jon Picoult,starts with the claim that “If you’re aspiring to satisfy your customers, then you are aspiring to mediocrity.” The author argues that, instead, companies should be so totally focused on delivering an extraordinary customer experience that they truly stand out, resulting in growing revenues, reduced costs, and improved shareholder value. He identifies what he calls the “12 principles for creating lifelong fans.” The book is primarily made up of a chapter on each of these 12 principles. Throughout the book, the author provides compelling stories of companies that demonstrate (positively or negatively) the 12 principles and provides helpful guidance in how practically to implement each principle.

This approach works incredibly well. Each chapter is very engaging and informative. The writing style is clear and the content is very practical. I often found myself sharing with others the stories I had just read and thinking about how to implement the principles in different businesses I am currently (or have previously been) engaged with. 

I strongly recommend From Impressed to Obsessed for any business leader, whether or not “customer experience” is in your job description. The principles are applicable whether you view your “customer” as an end user of your company’s product, an internal group that you serve, or your own employees. Many of the principles seem like “no brainers”, but unless you intentionally focus on them, they are easy to overlook when dealing with all the other factors in today’s competitive environment. The book is an easy read, full of valuable insights, and very practical in its focus on implementation.

Read the full review here.

Many of the ministries I’ve featured in this series of articles have existed for decades, easily pre-dating the Digital Revolution. They have had to adapt, to change, to respond to the newly available power and the emerging dangers of new technologies. The ministry I’m featuring today is different. It was founded in the midst of the Internet Revolution, with the Mobile/Social Revolution just over the horizon.

Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary (CBTS) began life as the Midwest Center for Theological Studies in 2005 using the traditional model of in-person education. In 2011 the school embraced digital technology, shifting to a primarily online teaching model. That shift has enabled CBTS to accomplish three primary goals: partnering with local churches in preparing those with a pastoral calling, serving churches and students around the world, and making a seminary education affordable. In 2014 the school changed its name to reflect its broader reach and more focused purpose.

Brice Bigham, director of development and marketing for CBTS, described the impact of technology this way: “When online education is done right, the value is tremendous. Students gain all the benefits of rigorous academic study, while learning practical shepherding skills at the side of their local pastor, all at a fraction of the cost of residential seminary programs. That makes them available to go where God needs them.”

Read the full article here.

The AI Marketing Canvas by Raj Venkatesan and Jim Lecinski is divided into four sections. The first section presents the case that, as the authors put it, “we believe there is one way and only one way to win, and that is with AI and machine learning.” The second section provides a high level overview of concepts used throughout the book including the new/winning and old/losing business models, the four key moments in the authors’ marketing model, and the basic vocabulary and concepts in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The third section introduces the authors’ “canvas”, applying a five stage maturity model against the four key marketing moments. The final section is called “Implementation” and is intended to help readers put the authors’ approach into practice.

I was attracted to this book and agreed to read and review it because I am very interested in how the Connected Intelligence Revolution (with AI at its core) is transforming how businesses operate, and I have greatly benefitted from tools like the Business Model Canvas and the Value Proposition Canvas. I hoped that this book would both further educate me on how AI is transforming the discipline of Marketing and provide a new powerful tool for use as I work with clients on their businesses. Unfortunately, for me, the book failed to deliver on either count. 

The AI Marketing Canvas suggests a five-stage roadmap for implementing AI into different areas of marketing. The book also provides an introduction to some basic concepts of marketing and AI, so parts of this book could be helpful to readers completely unaware of those fields. In general, however, the book feels like an already outdated attempt to stretch an article’s worth of content into a full-length book. Readers may be better served to seek out the authors’ article on the same topic in California Management Review or look for a better, more current book on the topic.

Click here to read the full review.

From its earliest beginnings, Ligonier has been a leader in using technology in achieving its mission of “proclaiming, teaching, and defending the holiness of God in all its fullness to as many people as possible.” Before the digital revolution, the ministry was early in adopting audio cassettes, video cassettes, and radio to extend its reach beyond those within driving range of the Ligonier Valley Study Center.

As the digital revolution began, those early media forms transformed to their digital equivalents of CDs and DVDs and, with the growth of the Internet they became digital streams and podcasts. The mobile revolution brought mobile apps, and in the social and connected intelligence revolutions Ligonier has established platforms for connecting students and teachers, those with questions and those with answers.

From the early years when founder R.C. Sproul just had a lectern and a chalkboard and reached the dozens of students gathered in his classroom, Ligonier has grown to reach millions each month with rich teaching leveraging the latest technologies. 

Sproul was constantly seeking ways to help more and more people more deeply understand who God is. He championed big projects. It’s reported that whenever a major initiative was completed, he would celebrate what God had accomplished, but then ask “What’s next?” The leadership of Ligonier is continuing to ask that question and to seek good and godly ways to advance their mission. 

Click here to read the full article.

The concept of “value proposition” has long felt very squishy to me. If I would ask someone about the value proposition for their product or business, I would often get an answer that felt “warm and fuzzy”. The answers sounded good and probably were based on discussions they’d had with their customers, but I never felt a great deal of confidence that they were a solid foundation for strategic decisions.

So, I was excited when Alexander Osterwalder and team released Value Proposition Design and introduced the Value Proposition Canvas. Finally, it felt like there was a repeatable analytical process for developing a value proposition. Still, there were times when the tool didn’t seem as easy to use as I expected. Something still seemed to be missing.

And then I read The Digital Transformation Playbook. One of David Rogers’ strategic themes is “adapt your value proposition”, and that is the topic of a very rich chapter that greatly clarified my view of value propositions. Most of the chapter introduces the Value Proposition Roadmap and a detailed step-by-step explanation of how to use it. In the article linked below I focus on combining the process that Rogers describes with that used by Osterwalder et al in the Value Proposition Canvas. I actually think a combination of the two is a powerful approach that overcomes the weaknesses of each.

Read the full article here.

For over 50 years, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet the needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. When Bob Pierce founded the ministry in 1970, he wasn’t motivated by any vision of the coming digital revolution, or how western technology could save people in struggling economies. He was a man with a heart broken “by the things that break God’s heart” and convicted by Jesus’ words at the end of the parable of the Good Samaritan: “Go and do likewise.”

So, how has the digital revolution played a part in how God is using Samaritan’s Purse, and how do the ministry’s leaders approach capturing the power and managing the danger of new technologies? I asked Ross Stonecipher, senior director of IT for the ministry to walk me through the four waves of the digital revolution at Samaritan’s Purse. Click the link below to read his answers.

Technology has clearly been an important part of how God is using Samaritan’s Purse to love and serve many around the world. In addition to it’s U.S. headquarters, the ministry has affiliate offices in Canada, Australia, the U.K., Germany and South Korea, field offices in 19 countries, and works in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine and persecution. The ministry literally has touched hundreds of millions of people at their point of need.  It is hard to imagine Samaritan’s Purse being able to operate at that scale without the technologies that have become core to the ministry’s operations.

Read the full article here.

The Digital Transformation Playbook, by David L. Rogers, provides a comprehensive framework for working through the potentially disruptive process of redesigning a company for the new business operating models introduced throughout the digital revolution. As the author explains, digital transformation is not about technology— it is about strategy and new ways of thinking. He specifically calls out five domains of business strategy requiring reevaluation: customers, competition, data, innovation, and value.

The book is structured as seven chapters: one introducing the five domains, one for each of the five domains, and a closing chapter on disruptive business models. Within each chapter, the author introduces at least one tool or framework to provide practical help to readers in changing their strategic perspective on that domain. Throughout he also provides extensive and helpful case studies to demonstrate how the transformations happen in real business situations, and identifies the organizational challenges in achieving transformation.

In my opinion, The Digital Transformation Playbook is an essential primer and reference for anyone involved in business leadership. Each chapter is a goldmine, containing as much helpful information as many standalone books. The case studies, tools, and frameworks make it as easy as possible for leaders to implement the concepts contained within and the author’s website provides additional coaching on how to use the most powerful tools. While not being a quick read (because of the richness of concepts presented), the book is very readable and engaging. I strongly recommend it to any business leader.

Click here to read the full review.