Company Overview

Rich Horwath, Founder & President
Rich Horwath is the founder and president of the Strategic Thinking Institute, an organization dedicated to helping managers develop their strategic thinking skills to achieve competitive advantage. He is a former Chief Strategy Officer and serves as a professor of strategy at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management with a 4.9 out of 5 rating for teaching effectiveness. Rich is the author of four books and more than 50 articles on strategic thinking.

Rich works with clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to emerging growth companies located in the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific. He assists executive management teams on a range of strategy-related topics including strategy development, building competitive advantage and growth strategies. He has developed dozens of proprietary strategic thinking tools including the Deep Dive Learning System, which includes the best-selling book, workbook, assessments, software, group workshops, keynote speech and individual strategic counsel.

Rich earned an MBA with Distinction from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University and has done post-graduate studies in strategy at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College. He resides in Barrington Hills, Illinois.

Mission
To help management teams achieve competitive advantage through strategic thinking.

Values
Preparation: The discipline and commitment to invest time and talent to provide the maximum level of value.

Expertise: Dedication to the highest degree of knowledge and skill in the area of strategy.

Excellence: The drive to provide clients with superior results.

The Art of Strategy Creation
Strategy development moves through a five-phase process similar to the stages a sculptor works through to create their work of art:

Strategist Sculptor
Discovery Choosing the Tools
Strategic Thinking Playing in Space
Strategic Planning Building the Framework
Strategy Rollout Sculpting the Masterpiece
Strategy Tune-up Polishing the Form

"Rich does an excellent job in assisting individuals throughout various levels of an organization understand that while strategy is a somewhat abstract and intangible concept, there are a variety of tools and methods available to practically apply it to their business. His presentations and workbooks are thoughtfully constructed, understandable and useful in leading a group through a comprehensive and objective analysis of their business that ultimately results in action plans focused on differentiating themselves from the competition. His grasp of the topic of strategy along with a comfortable and upbeat presentation style is effective in facilitating strategic thinking and strategy skills development."

Jerry Casey
Senior Vice President
Genzyme Diagnostics

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