---
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title: "Deep Dive: The Proven Method for Building Strategy, Focusing Your Resources & Taking Smart Action"
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# Deep Dive: The Proven Method for Building Strategy, Focusing Your Resources & Taking Smart Action

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Buy Deep Dive: The Proven Method for Building Strategy, Focusing Your Resources & Taking Smart Action Illustrated by Horwath, Rich (ISBN: 9781929774821) from desertcart's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

Review: Attitude and preparation determine altitude...and also depth - There are business situations in which the goal is to ascend (e.g. to reach a higher level of productivity, efficiency, profitability) and other situations in which the goal is to descend (e.g. to drill down past symptoms to the root causes of a problem) and successfully achieving either goal depends almost entirely on one's attitude. Long ago, Henry Ford observed, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." Attitude is even more decisive when there are severe challenges to overcome. Years later, Jack Dempsey had this in mind when explaining that "champions get up when they can't." I mention all this because, in Deep Dive, Rich Horvath makes brilliant use of extended metaphors for both ascension and descent. He provides a cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective program by which to prepare to achieve success at either great heights or great depths. More specifically, he explains o The four types of strategic thinkers o The strategic thinking assessment o The three disciplines of strategic thinking Note: It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of an appropriate strategy. I presume to suggest that you think of a strategy as a "hammer" that drives "nails," or tactics. It guide and informs initiatuves to achieve the given goal or objective. Horwath also explains o Which are the most common obstacles to strategic thinking and how to avoid or overcome them o Why competitive advantage is strategy's "Holy Grail" o How and why value discipline "spells success" All this and more is covered in the first two chapters. Then in Chapters 3-5, he introduces and explains three disciplines: #1: Acumen (the deep dive for insight), #2: Allocation (using tangible, intangible, and human resources wisely), and #3: Action (there must be no gap between knowing and doing). The last three chapters focus on teamwork (collaboration determined by mission, vision, and values), "Deep Dive Dangers" (e.g. "anchors" such as pre-judgments or prejudices, erroneous assumptions, false premises), and "The Confidence to Dive" based on appropriate strategy design and coordinated application of the three disciplines). Credit Horwath with skillful use of several reader-friendly devices through his narrative, notably "Drive Master Practice" and "Pearls of Insight" sections that serve two separate but related functions: they suggest action steps and highlight key points. I also appreciate the insertion of boxed comments and insights relevant to the given context. For example, on Page 30 in Chapter 2: "Johnny Cash and the Mini Cooper have both been remarkably successful because they were [begin italics] different [end italics] from their competition in ways their core customers valued." Do not be misled by this book's title. It is not about diving in deep water. Rather, it is about what can be learned from that activity while "building business strategy, focusing your resources, and taking smart action" to achieve business objectives. I conclude with two of my favorite quotations. Both are compellingly relevant to the material that Rich Horwath shares in this book. First, from Michael Porter: "The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do." Now the second from Peter Drucker: "There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all." Know where not to pursue business objectives before formulating a strategy and then, know what not to do when executing that strategy.
Review: Valuable and practical insights into Strategy - I enjoyed this book on Strategic Thinking as it is practical and easy to read. The Diving metaphor however, is interesting but not essential. The most useful aspect of this book was that it provided original perspectives on well worn topics. There are however, not many references to business case studies, yet the anecdotal evidence provided is more than adequate. The bibliography and end of chapter summaries are very good and appreciated. The author creates a very simple strategic thinking framework that may be easily shared throughout an organisation, which is one of the important themes in the book. The book explains the differences between strategic thinking and strategic planning and why both are relevant and important. There are countless pieces of good advice and warnings of what to avoid. The author clearly knows his topic and his audience. I recommend the book for those starting out in the genre and for those looking for fresh ideas.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | 3,754,608 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 84,729 in Business, Finance & Law |
| Customer reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (194) |
| Dimensions  | 14.48 x 2.54 x 21.84 cm |
| Edition  | Illustrated |
| ISBN-10  | 1929774826 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1929774821 |
| Item weight  | 408 g |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 214 pages |
| Publication date  | 1 Aug. 2009 |
| Publisher  | Greenleaf Book Group LLC |

## Images

![Deep Dive: The Proven Method for Building Strategy, Focusing Your Resources & Taking Smart Action - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71ZHwKTbh7L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Attitude and preparation determine altitude...and also depth
*by R***S on 19 July 2011*

There are business situations in which the goal is to ascend (e.g. to reach a higher level of productivity, efficiency, profitability) and other situations in which the goal is to descend (e.g. to drill down past symptoms to the root causes of a problem) and successfully achieving either goal depends almost entirely on one's attitude. Long ago, Henry Ford observed, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." Attitude is even more decisive when there are severe challenges to overcome. Years later, Jack Dempsey had this in mind when explaining that "champions get up when they can't." I mention all this because, in Deep Dive, Rich Horvath makes brilliant use of extended metaphors for both ascension and descent. He provides a cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective program by which to prepare to achieve success at either great heights or great depths. More specifically, he explains o The four types of strategic thinkers o The strategic thinking assessment o The three disciplines of strategic thinking Note: It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of an appropriate strategy. I presume to suggest that you think of a strategy as a "hammer" that drives "nails," or tactics. It guide and informs initiatuves to achieve the given goal or objective. Horwath also explains o Which are the most common obstacles to strategic thinking and how to avoid or overcome them o Why competitive advantage is strategy's "Holy Grail" o How and why value discipline "spells success" All this and more is covered in the first two chapters. Then in Chapters 3-5, he introduces and explains three disciplines: #1: Acumen (the deep dive for insight), #2: Allocation (using tangible, intangible, and human resources wisely), and #3: Action (there must be no gap between knowing and doing). The last three chapters focus on teamwork (collaboration determined by mission, vision, and values), "Deep Dive Dangers" (e.g. "anchors" such as pre-judgments or prejudices, erroneous assumptions, false premises), and "The Confidence to Dive" based on appropriate strategy design and coordinated application of the three disciplines). Credit Horwath with skillful use of several reader-friendly devices through his narrative, notably "Drive Master Practice" and "Pearls of Insight" sections that serve two separate but related functions: they suggest action steps and highlight key points. I also appreciate the insertion of boxed comments and insights relevant to the given context. For example, on Page 30 in Chapter 2: "Johnny Cash and the Mini Cooper have both been remarkably successful because they were [begin italics] different [end italics] from their competition in ways their core customers valued." Do not be misled by this book's title. It is not about diving in deep water. Rather, it is about what can be learned from that activity while "building business strategy, focusing your resources, and taking smart action" to achieve business objectives. I conclude with two of my favorite quotations. Both are compellingly relevant to the material that Rich Horwath shares in this book. First, from Michael Porter: "The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do." Now the second from Peter Drucker: "There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all." Know where not to pursue business objectives before formulating a strategy and then, know what not to do when executing that strategy.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Valuable and practical insights into Strategy
*by H***E on 15 November 2014*

I enjoyed this book on Strategic Thinking as it is practical and easy to read. The Diving metaphor however, is interesting but not essential. The most useful aspect of this book was that it provided original perspectives on well worn topics. There are however, not many references to business case studies, yet the anecdotal evidence provided is more than adequate. The bibliography and end of chapter summaries are very good and appreciated. The author creates a very simple strategic thinking framework that may be easily shared throughout an organisation, which is one of the important themes in the book. The book explains the differences between strategic thinking and strategic planning and why both are relevant and important. There are countless pieces of good advice and warnings of what to avoid. The author clearly knows his topic and his audience. I recommend the book for those starting out in the genre and for those looking for fresh ideas.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Introduction to strategic thinking
*by B***N on 4 July 2012*

Deep Dive is a helpful and concisely written book on strategy. Drawing analogies to diving to explain the concepts of strategy, Horwath makes strategy easy to understand and accessible for anyone interested in learning about strategy. The reason that I subtracted one star from a perfect rating is that I at times felt like the book would have even more value with more theoretical depth. I understand that the premise of the book is to provide a succinct account of strategy, yet diving a little deeper (pun intended) would at times have been welcome to me. The many frameworks and tools that are introduced and explained over the course of the book are great; they help you transform abstract thoughts into tangible plans and insights. Theory is often accompanied by interesting anecdotes, yet I do miss information about the real-world applications of Horwath's self-designed models. Despite the minor points of critcism that I have, I would still recommend this book to anyone looking to learn about strategy. People unfamiliar with strategy and strategic thinking will especially learn a great deal from this book, while more trained 'strategists' will probably find this book a helpful summary of the concepts with some interesting new insights. Recommended!

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