Argues that a manager's central responsibility is to create and implement strategies, challenges popular motivational practices, and shares anecdotes discussing how to enable action-oriented plans for real-world results.

Good strategy is unexpected -- Discovering power -- Bad strategy -- Why so much bad strategy? -- The kernel of good strategy -- Using leverage -- Proximate objectives -- Chain-link systems -- Using design -- Focus -- Growth -- Using advantage -- Using dynamics -- Inertia and entropy -- Putting it together -- The science of strategy -- Using your head -- Keeping your head.