Strategy Is Your Next Blockbuster
In today’s tumultuous environment, world-class science and a pipeline full of promising products is not enough. The difference between success and failure is not solely commercial or clinical — it’s strategic. I’ve worked with 36 life sciences companies over the past two decades to help both commercial and clinical leaders develop the strategic thinking and planning capabilities their science deserves.
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“I learned more useful and practical strategy tools in one day with you than in five days at the Wharton Executive Education Program on Strategy.”
Michael Tomcsanyi, National Director, Sunovion
The Forces Reshaping Your Business
Life sciences leaders in the field, in the lab, or at headquarters are all facing disruptive generational changes:
- Losing access to key customers including site-of-care restrictions and provider access
- Customer consolidation changing the locus of decision-making
- Losses from impending patent cliffs and commoditization will require innovative thinking to replace the revenue
- The status-quo mindsets of physicians and surgeons regarding treatment options are becoming more concrete
- Pricing and margin pressure from the government, payers, providers, and others is unrelenting
- Tactics of the past (e.g., more feet on the street, selling against a competitor’s package insert) are obsolete
- Internal complexity masks decision-making and resource allocation problems — who decides what and how?
What These Challenges Demand of Your Leaders
The companies that succeed in the future won’t be chained to the tactics of the past. They won’t be waiting for one person in the ivory tower to tell them what to do next. They will have leaders at every level who can think, plan, and act strategically. What this looks like:

- Commercial and clinical leaders trained to think and plan strategically — knowing the what, how, and why.
- Strategy conversations at every level — not just the C-suite.
- A common language for strategy — universal understanding of strategy across commercial and clinical leadership.
- Consistent collaboration across areas and levels to align cross-functional strategies.
- Disciplined trade-offs and resource allocation — understanding the importance of prioritization.
- Innovative thinking in all areas to generate new insights on creating, delivering, and capturing value.
- Increased decision velocity along with highly effective and efficient meetings.

“We have worked with Rich and the Strategic Thinking Institute for 15 years. We have searched high and low for other strategy programs, and none come close to the content, expertise, and delivery that Rich brings. Beyond his workshops, he offers ongoing support/consultation, and he REALLY means it! Rich helped me to prepare a strategic plan to be delivered in front of hundreds of people and his coaching allowed me to show up at my best. You will not find better programs on strategic thinking anywhere. Rich is a true partner.”
Alison Pulte, Director of Leadership Excellence, Novartis
Proven Strategic Capability Development for Life Sciences Leaders
For more than 25 years, the Strategic Thinking Institute has helped life sciences organizations — from global pharmaceutical leaders to emerging biotechs, diagnostics, and medical device companies — build the strategic thinking and planning capabilities these challenges demand.
Strategic Advisory for Biotech & Pharma
Build your team’s strategic capabilities and business strategy process to match your scientific excellence. Leverage a world-class strategy expert to design, develop, and facilitate your leadership team’s strategic thinking and planning process — bringing proven frameworks, a seasoned external sounding board, and the ability to surface insights, make real trade-offs, and align your executive team on where and how you’ll win.
The Strategic Ecosystem
A continuous development system that transforms how your leaders think, plan, and act strategically — throughout the year. It combines validated assessment of strategic capabilities using the proprietary Strategic Quotient (SQ), facilitated live in-person and virtual workshops, self-paced courses, Strategic AI Coach, and microlearning to embed the disciplines throughout the year. Strategy stops being an annual event and becomes a seamless part of the organization’s leadership DNA.
Strategic Thinking Workshops
Immersive learning experiences that equip leaders at all levels and functional areas with practical tools to generate insights, allocate resources, and develop a clear plan for their work — tailored to their specific roles on the commercial or clinical side of the business.
Keynotes & Executive Sessions
Research-based, high-energy, interactive sessions from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of eight books on strategy — ideal for leadership summits, national meetings, and strategy kickoffs.
Trusted by World-Class Life Sciences Leaders
8 books authored, including New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers

200+ articles published including multiple in the Harvard Business Review


“The world’s foremost expert on strategic thinking.”
Chief Executive Magazine
Clients
1,000,000+ leaders developed worldwide. 36 life sciences companies served across pharma, biotech, diagnostics, and devices.
Take a Deep Dive Into Strategy

“I appreciated your ability to teach/facilitate/moderate and move us through the strategy development process in a productive fashion. Your modular and highly tailored approach of the process to our business fits our needs nicely. Thank you for your preparation and hard work in navigating our executive team and next level leaders through these strategy sessions. One year later, I can say that your work had a dramatically positive impact on our business. In addition to the strong strategic plan we developed, you infused a new mind set into our organization that has created the strategic discipline to make important trade-offs and has unleashed a powerful energy of confidence. You’ve truly made a difference to our business.”
Don Pogorzelski, President, Genzyme Diagnostics
See the value other life sciences leaders have found partnering with us
Is Your Strategy as Sound as Your Science?
Your organization would never run a clinical trial without a protocol. Why run your business without a proven approach to strategic thinking and planning?
Join the dozens of world-class life sciences companies that have partnered with us to build the strategic capabilities your leaders need to navigate and innovate for future success.
Contact us today to discuss your team’s needs.