Playing to Win

Use it when you need to cut through strategic noise and define coherent choices that win in the market.

What is it?

Playing to Win is a strategic framework popularized by A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin that turns vision into winning choices.

At its core are five interlocking decisions, Winning Aspiration, Where to Play, How to Win, Core Capabilities, and Management Systems, that force you to move from generic goals to concrete actions. Instead of a laundry list of plans, Playing to Win makes you pick a corner of the market, define your unique advantage, and align your organization around building the capabilities that deliver that advantage.

It solves the common problem of ‘strategy drift,' where companies float between priorities and dilute their impact. By framing strategy as a set of deliberate, cascading choices, you get a clear roadmap for resource allocation, product direction, and growth initiatives.

Why it matters?

Playing to Win matters because it transforms vague ambitions into tangible, prioritized actions that drive revenue, market share, and sustainable advantage. By forcing you to choose where to compete and how to win, it cuts wasted effort, aligns your team around high-impact initiatives, and creates the capabilities that fuel repeatable growth.

How it works

Growth co-pilot turns your toughest product questions into clear, data-backed recommendations you can act on immediately.

Define Your Winning Aspiration

State the end goal in one bold sentence, what winning means to your organization. This crystalizes purpose and anchors every decision.

Choose Where to Play

Select your target segments, geographies, and customer profiles. Resist the urge to chase everything, focus where you can dominate.

Choose How to Win

Articulate your unique value proposition and competitive edge. Will you win on price, quality, convenience, or innovation? Get specific.

Identify Core Capabilities

List the critical processes, technologies, and skills you must master to deliver your How to Win. These become your investment priorities.

Establish Management Systems

Set up metrics, governance, and feedback loops that monitor progress on your strategic choices and ensure agile course corrections.

Frequently asked questions

Growth co-pilot turns your toughest product questions into clear, data-backed recommendations you can act on immediately.

What's the difference between Where to Play and How to Win?

Where to Play defines the exact markets, segments, or customer groups you target. How to Win details the unique value proposition and competitive approach that makes you stand out in those chosen arenas.

What's the difference between Where to Play and How to Win?

Is Playing to Win suitable for early-stage startups?

Yes, just scale down the scope. Use its five choices to focus your limited resources, validate your target segment, and build initial capabilities before you expand.

Is Playing to Win suitable for early-stage startups?

Yes, just scale down the scope. Use its five choices to focus your limited resources, validate your target segment, and build initial capabilities before you expand.

How often should we revisit our Playing to Win choices?

Review your five strategic choices at least quarterly or whenever market signals shift. Keep your strategy dynamic, adjust your Where to Play and How to Win as you learn.

How often should we revisit our Playing to Win choices?

Review your five strategic choices at least quarterly or whenever market signals shift. Keep your strategy dynamic, adjust your Where to Play and How to Win as you learn.

What if we lack hard data to pick Where to Play?

Combine qualitative interviews, quick experiments, and proxy metrics to test segment viability. Lean into customer discovery to gather directional data before committing large budgets.

What if we lack hard data to pick Where to Play?

Combine qualitative interviews, quick experiments, and proxy metrics to test segment viability. Lean into customer discovery to gather directional data before committing large budgets.

How does Playing to Win differ from SWOT analysis?

SWOT is a diagnostic tool listing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Playing to Win prescribes a sequence of strategic choices that drive action, moving you from insights to an executable roadmap.

How does Playing to Win differ from SWOT analysis?

You've mapped your strategic choices using Playing to Win, now validate those choices in real customer journeys with the CrackGrowth diagnostic to uncover blind spots and accelerate your next growth sprint.

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