Must-Win Battles Strategy Model Visual model from Mantra to key activities Cone Made software is a tool for modeling and managing Must-Win Battles.

1. Must-Win
Battles
1© Cone Advisor

2. What is must-win battles?
(business strategy)
• Rather than spreading resources too thin, companies
must focus on 3 to 5 key challenges — Must-Win Battles
(MWBs)
• MWBs are crucial to achieving their business goals.
• A well-chosen MWB
• make a real difference,
• Be market focused,
• create excitement,
• be specific and tangible,
• and be winnable.
Source http://www.mustwinbattles.com2© Cone Advisor

3. Modeling - From Mantra to Key
Activities
Step 1:
Make a
mantra
Step 2:
Define 3-
5 Must-
Win
Battles
Step 3:
Define 1-
3 Key
Means of
the Battle
Step 4:
Define 0-3
Key
Activities of
the Mean
1
2
3
4
3© Cone Advisor

4. Southwest Airlines’ Mantra
• The mission of
Southwest Airlines is
dedication to the
highest quality of
Customer Service
delivered with a
sense of warmth,
friendliness,
individual pride, and
Company Spirit.
Source: www.southwest.com
1
4© Cone Advisor

5. The Essence of Who You Are –
Make a Mantra
• A mission statement, while
touted as necessary for
any company, often is not
representative of the true
meaning of the company
• A mantra is shorter 3-4
words and captures the
essence of the
organization.
• Examples*
• Wendy's "Healthy Fast
Food“
• FedEx "Peace of Mind“
• Nike "Authentic Athletic
Performance“
• Mary Kay "Enriching
women’s lives"
© Cone Advisor 5 Source: Guy Kawasaki, Stanford 20.10.2004
Entrepreneurial Thought Leader Speaker Series
*(Examples are not from companies. These Mantras
Kawasaki proposed as a mantra for the company.

6. © Cone Advisor 6
Modeling your Must-Win Battle
Must-Win
Battle
2-3 Strategic Means
(Focus areas of the
Battle)
0-3 Critical Incidents
(Key Activities,
Simple Rules)
Source: Ala-Mutka 2008
2
3
4

7. Key Means and Activities
as Simple Rules
• 1.Decision making rules
• Midsized cities & secondary airports
• 2.Boundary rules
• No Meals, No Seating
• 3.Activity rules
• Point-to-point service
• 4.Performance rules
• 25-minutes gate turnaround
© Cone Advisor 7
Source: Ala-Mutka 2008 p. 185-188, see also
Eisenhardt & Sull 2001 Simple Rules

8. MWB Model
© Cone Advisor 8
Profitable
Growth Efficiency of
Processes
Productivity
of Resources
Customer
Value
Must Win
BattlesMeans
Key
Activities
Source: Ala-Mutka 2008 p. 165
Themes of
Must-Win
Battles

9. 1. Get started
• Successful MWB
kick-off event is only
the starting point of
your journey.
Source: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/must-
win-battles-lessons-from-successful-and-failed-journeys/9© Cone Advisor

10. 2. Inspire towards difference
• The most successful
MWBs are those that
tap into the groups’
aspirations and
inspire everyone to
do things differently.
Source: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/must-
win-battles-lessons-from-successful-and-failed-journeys/10© Cone Advisor

11. 3. Incentives & Drivers
• Balance the “carrot
and stick” in leading
your MWB journey -
Drivers to the
success
• Discipline
• Incentives
Source: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/must-
win-battles-lessons-from-successful-and-failed-journeys/11© Cone Advisor

12. 4. Commitment
• Enlarge the group of
people leading the
journey. The broader
the leadership, the
greater the probability
of success.
Source: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/must-
win-battles-lessons-from-successful-and-failed-journeys/12© Cone Advisor

13. 5. Be Agile
• A MWB journey is not
a quick fix.
• Persistence,
• discipline, and
• continually raising
performance targets over
time will enhance your
prospects of success.
Source: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/must-
win-battles-lessons-from-successful-and-failed-journeys/13© Cone Advisor

14. © Cone Advisor 14
Visual Strategy Model +
Must Win Battles
• Jukka Ala-Mutka, Strategiamalli (in
Finnish), Talentum 2008.
• Strategy Modeling
• Visual method
• Agile Strategy
• Peter Killing & Tom Malnight, Must-Win
Battles, 2005
• MUST-WIN BATTLES WILL SHOW YOU
HOW TO IDENTIFY AND AGREE ON
THE CRITICAL CHALLENGES THAT
WILL MAKE OR BREAK YOUR
BUSINESS, AND HELP YOU TO
MOBILIZE PEOPLE AND RESOURCES
TO ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS BY
COMBINING STRATEGIC FOCUS WITH
EMOTIONAL COMMITMENT.
Source http://www.mustwinbattles.com