StrategyMan Learning System: Developing Strategic Thinking & Planning Skills

The StrategyMan Learning System (SLS) is a digital, gamified learning platform designed to increase your strategic thinking and planning capabilities. The SLS follows the story of the graphic novel, StrategyMan vs. The Anti-Strategy Squad: Using Strategic Thinking to Defeat Bad Strategy and Save Your Plan,, bringing the characters and action to life through animation, voices, music, and interactive assessments. The course consists of 12 levels, with each level containing a mission managers must complete and a villain to defeat. This comprehensive program contains 84 knowledge questions, 36 scenarios to solve, and 20 strategy exercises, for a total of 140 potential points to score.

Level 1: Strategy Defined: Defining and creating goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics
Level 2: Purpose: Defining and creating mission, vision, and values
Level 3: Strategic Thinking: Applying the 3A Strategic Thinking Framework to daily activities
Level 4: Competitive Differentiation: Designing strategies based on your competitive position
Level 5: Innovation Tools & Techniques: How to create new value for customers
Level 6: Communicating Strategy: Increasing collaboration and improving meetings
Level 7: Multitasking and Decision-Making: Enhancing individual performance
Level 8: Focus and Trade-Offs: Tools and techniques for improving the discipline to prioritize
Level 9: Strategy Development: Transforming SWOT Analysis into real-world strategies
Level 10: Strategy Execution: How to align cross-functional strategies and create the big picture
Level 11: Strategy and Culture: Improving buy-in and leading effective strategy conversations
Level 12: Tactics: Determining the value of tactics to focus on the critical few

Content equivalent: Two-day workshop
Viewing time: 3 hours
Time to complete: 4-6 hours

“Over the past several years, we have had Rich deliver StrategyMan in a live setting, which always receives exemplary reviews from our leaders. This year, like many, we were forced into alternative solutions, and the StrategyMan program is one we will keep virtual moving forward even beyond internal travel bans for training. Simply put, the content is so rich and relevant that the group discussions have more time to be processed and applied by the participants over a 3-4-month period vs. receiving 100% of the content in one day.”

Tyler Kunkel, leadership training, Novartis

Elevate: Advanced Strategic Thinking Learning System

The Elevate: Advanced Strategic Thinking Learning System is an online course designed to help executives develop advanced strategic thinking skills based on the only book written on the topic. This video-based program will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and tools to continue to excel in your current role and maximize your strategic potential. The course contains five sections. In each section, you will review video modules and complete exercises to apply the material to your specific work. These exercises are referred to throughout the program as “Flight Simulators.” At the conclusion of each section, you will complete a five-question, multiple-choice quiz on the material.

Overview of Strategy

Advanced Discipline #1: Coalesce — Harnessing your strategic insights
Advanced Discipline #2: Compete — Positioning your business for advantage
Advanced Discipline #3: Champion — Leading strategy execution
Creating a Strategy Scaffold: Developing your purpose, business model, and plan

Content equivalent: Two-day workshop
Viewing time: 2.5 hours
Time to complete: 4-6 hours

Deep Dive Strategy Learning System

Based on the bestselling strategic thinking book, the Deep Dive Strategy Learning System is an online course that provides you with the knowledge, skills, and tools to think, plan, and execute strategy more effectively. Using the Deep Dive Strategic Planning Process, individuals, management teams, and organizations can learn how to:

  1. Think strategically on a daily, not yearly, basis to generate new ideas.
  2. Develop a common understanding and toolkit for strategy.
  3. Create differentiated strategy to grow profits.
  4. Improve strategic decision making to increase productivity.
  5. Discover new sources for generating business innovation.
  6. Overcome five execution errors to successfully implement strategy.
  7. Design a one-page blueprint to guide daily business activities.
  8. Confidently set strategic direction to maintain competitive advantage.
  9. Align and communicate business strategy with the rest of your organization.
  10. Outthink and outperform the competition on a consistent basis.

Content equivalent: One-day workshop
Viewing time: 1.5 hours
Time to complete: 2-4 hours

Strategy for You: Personal Strategy System

How did you get to where you are? Did you consider where you wanted to go in life and develop a strategy, or have you just jumped between opportunities? Research shows only 15% of adults have a written plan. But what if you have more to offer?

The Strategy for You: Personal Strategy System is an online course designed to help people apply the foundational principles of business strategy to their life. This video-based program will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and tools to maximize your strategic potential. Throughout the program, you will review video modules and complete exercises to apply the material to your specific work. These exercises are referred to throughout the program as “Bridgework” and can be completed with templates found in the workbook.

Content equivalent: One-day workshop
Viewing time: 1.5 hours
Time to complete: 4-8 hours