Survive, Reset, Thrive - by Rebecca Homkes (Paperback)

About the Book

"Strategy is about making choices around where to play and where not to play, how to win, how to allocate resources among competing priorities and, critically, what to do. All these choices must be made when you never know everything you would like to know. This book is about facing uncertainty head-on and then playing each round to not just survive, but thrive. Doing so only comes from the power move of executing a reset: the differentiated step where you embrace change, new insights and new opportunities to set your organization up for sustainable performance. Survive, Reset, Thrive is a playbook for leaders derived from the author's first-hand experience working with executive teams across industries from software, technology, retail, fashion and construction through to manufacturing. Drawing from over a decade of rich real-world experience, the author illustrates how to navigate the most complex strategic situations with a simple, executable approach. Rebecca Homkes explains how proactively to stabilize your business to withstand and grow through market shocks, reset your strategy to take account of new realities and thrive through uncertainty"--

Book Synopsis

Uncertainty is here to stay. Rather than seeing it as an obstacle to overcome, integrate it into your strategic approach to invigorate your high-growth potential and outperform competition under any market condition.

Strategy is about making choices around where to play and where not to play, how to win, how to allocate resources among competing priorities and, critically, what to do. All these choices must be made when you never know everything you would like to know. This book is about facing uncertainty head-on and then playing each round to not just survive, but thrive. Doing so only comes from the power move of executing a reset: the differentiated step where you embrace change, new insights and new opportunities to set your organization up for sustainable performance.

Survive, Reset, Thrive is a playbook for leaders derived from the author's first-hand experience working with executive teams across industries from software, technology, retail, fashion and construction through to manufacturing. Drawing from over a decade of rich real-world experience, the author illustrates how to navigate the most complex strategic situations with a simple, executable approach. Rebecca Homkes explains how proactively to stabilize your business to withstand and grow through market shocks, reset your strategy to take account of new realities and thrive through uncertainty.

Review Quotes

"Rebecca Homkes has written a highly relevant, readable and practical guide on how to formulate and update strategies to thrive in a fast changing business environment, which should be a go-to guide for all organizational leaders."-- "Martin Reeves, Chairman, BCG Henderson Institute."

"Full of street-smart insight, practical steps and effective techniques - Rebecca's Survive, Reset, Thrive approach delivers for teams that want to perform through real-world disruption and constant change."-- "Toto Wolff Team Principal & CEO, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team"

"We applied Rebecca Homkes's Survive, Reset, Thrive strategic framework to tripe the size of Primekss. In today's volatile and unpredictable world, SRT is uniquely the best in getting the team to translate the power of crisis into growth momentum, and it does this in an easy to grasp yet smart and comprehensive way. Highly recommend to all who want to grow fast!"-- "Janis Oslejs, CEO Primekss Group, Chair, YPO Construction Industry Network"

"Survive, Reset, Thrive is an essential compass for entrepreneurial leaders charting a course through today's unpredictable business climate. With a compelling call to embrace uncertainty and harness it for growth, Rebecca offers a pragmatic and actionable strategy for organizations of all sizes. This book is a testament to her expertise, providing a playbook that is both grounded in theory and rich in practical application. It's a must-read for any executive seeking to lead their company to sustainable performance and turn disruptive forces into opportunities. Survive, Reset, Thrive doesn't just offer a path to survival; it's a blueprint for flourishing in an era of relentless change. Leaders who follow this guide will not only future-proof their organizations, but position them to thrive, no matter the market conditions."-- "Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of 'The Earned Life', 'Triggers' and 'What Got You Here Won't Get You There'"

"Survive, Reset, Thrive is an immensely practical take on strategy. SRT empowers leaders with the 'how' to adapt intelligently, learn fast, and be ready to succeed in any market environment. It helps leaders find opportunities in an uncertain environment rather than protect against threats. At Gorilla, the process engaged my team in the strategy process, simplified a complex world, and provided a simple approach to reset our strategy for growth."-- "Mark A. Mercurio, President & CEO The Gorilla Glue Company"

"Survive, Reset, Thrive is an inherently practical resource for leaders looking to drive strong market returns when facing radical uncertainty. It asks us to reframe what we've learned about linear strategy development when we're leading in dynamic markets and instead guides us through a process of debating, articulating and testing market beliefs, making iterative adjustments to strategy from learning, and placing and executing on growth bets. There are fundamental changes happening to industries we assumed were stable, and Survive, Reset, Thrive helps us face those head on and engage productively on the opportunities that this change presents."-- "Philip Meyers, Director of Business Development, Associated British Foods"

"Survive, Reset, Thrive was energizing and empowering for leaders in our organization as they learned to adapt intelligently and we were able to succeed in any market environment."-- "Rich Wolowski, President & Chief Executive Officer, Gordon Food Services"

"Rebecca Homkes's strategy approach takes away all of the buzz words and provides a set of simple steps that work. This playbook help formulated my understanding of my business, and most importantly how to win. I have used Rebecca's methodology for over six years, and it is consistently helpful and relevant. Using Survive, Reset, Thrive has taken the company from serval years of losses to 10% net profitability. Rebecca's work, style, and content is simple, full of gold nuggets, and importantly it is actionable."-- "Husam Al-Saleh, CEO of SAC-Motor, Deputy CEO Arabian Hala"

"As Rebecca Homkes defines for us: uncertainty is a series of future events that may or may not occur, and it is amplified during times of extreme disruption. SRT asked us to embrace uncertainty head-on and find the opportunities it provides rather than protect ourselves from threats. Using SRT gave my organization the power of focus and empowered our leaders to act, not hide in fear. Result we thrived!!"-- "Garry Ridge, Chairman Emeritus WD-40 Company & The Culture Coach"

"It is rare to find a book on strategy that is well written, simple, practical and addresses an aspect of strategy that is often overlooked: uncertainty. I have read many strategy books and written one or two, but I highly recommend Survive, Reset, Thrive as the needed resource for today's leaders to guide their team's with confidence. Rebecca asks us to embrace uncertainty because it creates opportunities. Yes, uncertainty is inconvenient, and can even be a threat. But, as with all change, it disrupts the status quo, and that creates opportunities for those ready to respond. Survive, Reset, Thrive will help you be ready. It provides a playbook that helps business leaders prepare for uncertainty, reset their strategies as events develop and achieve sustainable performance building on the opportunities that emerge. Facing uncertainties such as digital transformation, AI, climate, or changing customer preferences, you will find the playbook powerful. It will help you guide your team with confidence."-- "Andrew Campbell, Professor, Author of 'Strategy for the Corporate Level' and 'Operating Model Canvas'"

"Most strategy tools do not factor in uncertainty or change. Survive, Reset, Thrive is therefore a timely guide for leaders as to how we embrace ambiguity and yet still develop and execute strategy in times when the goalposts keep moving. As Rebecca so eloquently puts it " you can't stop the market from punching you, but you can get better than anyone else at taking hits". At its core, this is a book about how to develop the resilience that will enable companies to thrive in an uncertain world."-- "Steve Brass, President and CEO, WD-40 Company"

"These days, uncertainty is everywhere, it seems. Unwelcome tradeoffs are rampant. The result, all too often, is analysis paralysis, leading to blissful inaction. But it doesn't have to be this way. Homkes helps us see that uncertainty can be our friend, not our enemy. By embracing, rather than fearing uncertainty, and by providing us with a pragmatic playbook, she shows us how to survive, reset, and ultimately thrive in even the most daunting situations. If you want your business to grow through thick and thin, this book is for you."-- "John Mullins, Associate Professor, London Business School Best-selling author, 'Break the Rules!' and 'The Customer-Funded Business'"

"This book is an essential read for executives and leaders who are grappling with the enormous changes - such as AI- being brought across the economy. AI is already impacting business and operating models of all types of companies and Dr. Homkes helps leaders to develop a strategic framework to reset and thrive in this era. I highly recommend this book for all leaders looking to succeed in constantly changing times."-- "Karim R. Lakhani, Professor Harvard Business School & Chair of Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard"

About the Author

Rebecca Homkes is a high-growth strategy specialist and CEO and executive advisor. She is a Lecturer at the London Business School, Faculty at Duke Corporate Executive Education, and a former fellow at the London School of Economics Centre for Economic Performance. A global keynote speaker and recognized thought leader, she is also the global Faculty Director of the Active Learning Program with the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), leads several fintech accelerators, and serves on the boards of many high-growth companies. She earned her doctorate at the London School of Economics as a Marshall Scholar and is now based in Miami, USA and London, UK.