What Makes a Great Strategist with Roger Martin
From What's Next! with Tiffani Bova by Tiffani Bova
March 19, 2026 · 26 min
About this episode
Tiffani Bova discusses the qualities that make a great strategist with Roger Martin, emphasizing the importance of humility, curiosity, and customer understanding.
Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. I'm thrilled to welcome you back to a series I did with my dear friend, Roger Martin. He's the author of the amazing book, Playing to Win. In this episode, we discuss what makes a great strategist. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…leaders, strategists, and executives who want to strengthen their strategic thinking and better understand what separates great strategists from good planners. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…great strategy doesn't come from intellectual brilliance alone. Roger says the best strategists develop a mindset rooted in humility, curiosity, and practice. In this episode, Roger makes the case that great strategy starts with a deep understanding of customers and evolves through experimentation in complex systems. KEY TAKEAWAYS Strategy should begin with a deep understanding of customers and their needs. Overreliance on data analytics can limit creativity and strategic thinking. Data should inform judgment, not replace it. Great strategists invent the future rather than simply extrapolating from the past. WHAT I LOVE MOST…Roger's reminder that strategy is a skill anybody can learn. Even leaders like A. G. Lafley became…
People in this episode
Host: Tiffani Bova
Guest: Roger Martin
Topics covered
- strategy
- leadership
- customer understanding
- strategic thinking
- experimentation
Keywords
- strategist
- strategy
- leadership
- customer needs
- data analytics
- experimentation
- A. G. Lafley
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Playing to Win
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