The Power of Frameworks as Disruptive Catalysts
In this episode of Strategic Minds, host Rich Horwath speaks with legendary strategist and bestselling author Geoffrey A. Moore, whose landmark books – Crossing the Chasm, Zone to Win, and Dealing with Darwin – have transformed how leaders approach innovation, disruption, and go-to-market strategy.
Moore shares how storytelling, pattern recognition, and intellectual curiosity shaped his unique approach to strategic frameworks – tools that help executives make smarter decisions in high-risk, low-data environments. Together, they unpack how frameworks act as disruptive catalysts, enabling leaders to synthesize complexity, uncover trapped value, and allocate resources more strategically.
Through examples from Salesforce, Microsoft, and Amazon, Moore explains the power of “zoning the enterprise” – aligning performance, productivity, incubation and transformation zones to optimize investment, leadership focus, and execution. His insights reveal why frameworks are not formulas but languages of strategic alignment, empowering leaders to think clearly and act decisively amid rapid business transformation.
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Key Quotes
“The first part of strategy is context. The second part of the strategy is, okay, where do I apply force to have… it’s like, where’s the fulcrum?”
“I think what Microsoft did under Bill Gates, and Balmer doesn’t get any credit, which is not fair — Gates and Balmer and now Satya — they’ve never been the disruptor. They’ve always been the fast follower, but they’ve been amazing at fast following.”
“I think of it as a pyramid a bit — with business models at the top, and then the business model gives rise to the operating model, and the operating model gives rise to the infrastructure model.”
“I do think you ought to have a library of frameworks. I think you ought to bring them out and kind of say, ‘Is this helping or not?’”
“And resource allocation really is the essence. This is the deliverable from strategy.”
Winsights: Ideas for Advantage
Our Winsight today comes from Charles Darwin, the English naturalist, who said: “It’s not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.”
As you think about your business, your leadership, and your performance, ask yourself: How open to change and evolution am I?
We don’t want to repeat the same patterns year after year or rely on tactics that no longer serve us. Strategic leaders evolve — they adapt, improve, and think differently to drive growth for themselves and their organizations.
Links
Submit a question for Rich to the League of Strategic Minds
Geoffrey A. Moore on LinkedIn
Rich Horwath on LinkedIn
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Rich Horwath on Instagram
Strategic Thinking Institute Website
Inc. Magazine’s Top 4 book for 2024: STRATEGIC Book
New executive development platform: Strategic Fitness System
Sign up for Rich’s free Strategic Thinker Newsletter
About the Guest
Geoffrey A. Moore
Author, Speaker, Managing Director
About the Host
Rich Horwath, Founder & CEO
Strategic Thinking Institute
Rich is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of eight books on strategic thinking, including his most recent work, STRATEGIC, which was named a “top 4 must-read business book for 2024” by Inc. Magazine, and a national bestseller by USA TODAY. He has been the top rated keynote speaker on strategic thinking at national conferences for nearly 20 years.
This Episode Brought to You by the Strategic Thinking Institute
Sharpen your strategic thinking for long-term success.
The Strategic Thinking Institute has developed hundreds of resources to help leaders at all levels think, plan, and act strategically. In addition to facilitating workshops and strategic coaching with executive leadership teams, STI has assessments and products for functional groups such as sales, marketing, finance, human resources, operations, information technology, account management, business development, accounting, clinical, medical, and other technical specialties. STI’s experience in a wide range of industries brings your team the best-of-breed practices and resources to enable your team to outthink and outperform the competition. Remember, be strategic … or be gone.
Strategic Minds Podcast Episodes
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 1 – Gold-Medal-Winning Strategy
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 2 – Blank Page to Billions: How An “Ideas Guy” Strategizes
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 3 – Strategic Leadership Shaped by a Service Mindset
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 4 – CEO as Architect of the Future
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 5 – Constructing Creative Strategy
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 6 – AI, Atoms, and the Science of Strategy
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 7 – Storytelling to Strategize
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 8 – Transforming Complexity Into Clarity
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 9 – Think Big, Move Fast, and Own the Outcome
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 10 – Growing Talent into Competitive Advantage
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 11 – Road Trip: Scaling Brands To Succeed
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 12 – Insights from Inside the Beautiful Mind
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 13 – Business Checkmate: Techniques from a Chess Master CEO
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 14 – “All In” on Strategy: Insights from a World Poker Champion
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 15 – Battle-Tested Strategy: Lessons from a Four-Star General
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 17 – Cultivating a Future Ready Mindset
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 18 – Creating a Confident Mind for Elite Performance
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 19 – The Origin Story of Strategy
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 20 – Strategy: The Art of Problem Solving with Imagination
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 21 – Mindfulness: Setting the Stage to Think
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 22 – Shaping the Future with Strategic Thinking
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 23 – The Octopus Approach To AI
Strategic Minds Podcast: Episode 24 – Discovering Insights at the Edges
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