When setting strategy, organizations typically spend too much time thinking about the competition and resources within the firm and not enough time on the customer―the soul of any organization. Such an approach is reflected in the fact that most popular theories of business strategy have focused on resource- and capability-based perspectives of the firm. Real-world businesses embracing and applying these intuitively attractive theories have struggled to compete, however, exactly because those theories fail to adequately account for the most important actor in all commercial transactions: the customer.

In The Soul of Strategy, two veteran strategists and academics deliver a straightforward new approach to business strategy―one that builds and expands on the classic work of Peter Drucker―recognizing the inescapable reality, faced by every organization, that a firm's primary job is to create and keep customers.

The book offers a comprehensive customer-centric strategy framework, a set of fresh perspectives and tools, and step-by-step guides to implementing the leadership styles, governance structures, and technology that companies require to outcompete their rivals in attracting and retaining customers. The book brings to life these key principles by using case studies and examples of organizations in a variety of industries.