It was supposed to be Habits of the Future. Or Habits Sharp as a Razor, so that it would follow up on my first book.
At least that is how Karel Novotný and I pictured it.
Then I invited Adam Hrubý into the naming process. He came up with more titles, and from those we picked ŘEŽ.
Last week I signed it for pre-order customers and by the end of this week it will be in all good bookshops.
Which titles didn't we choose?
1️⃣ The Opposite of Strategy
For a long time this one suited me best. The opposite of a good strategy is not chaos or the absence of strategy. The opposite of a strategy is another good strategy. Two companies can choose different paths in the same market and both win. It is true and it is a clever title. Just a bit too clever.
2️⃣ Sada (The Set)
As in 9 tools of today's most capable strategists. Short, punchy and playful. A set, as in a toolkit. A set, as in give your strategy a set. And in Czech, SADA rhymes with MASA, meat. Ahem.
3️⃣ Jasno (Clarity)
This one was the most emotionally powerful. When your strategy is anchored in reality. When you have mapped your business. When strategy lives in the everyday running of the company, you have clarity. Looking at that title, I thought: this is really good.
4️⃣ Habits of the Future
I liked this one too, but it would have put the book on the personal development shelf. ŘEŽ is not a self-help book. It is a practical book about strategic tools.
ŘEŽ
You can't decide between five good options by picking the one you like best. Nor by asking others. Everyone likes something different.
What should a title do?
- ŘEŽ fits the brand House of Řezáč.
- ŘEŽ (Czech for "cut") tells you what to do. Prioritise.
- ŘEŽ is 3 letters. It can hardly get shorter.
ŘEŽ will change the way you look at business.
And of course it makes a great Christmas gift for the price of a bottle of wine.
"The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do."
– Michael Porter
Weekend reading
No Country Ever Got Rich From Tourism
Has any country ever got rich from tourism?
