Michael Porter

Companies understand that if their employees are sick, it's really expensive. So despite the rhetoric I hear, thank God employers are still in the health-care system.

The company without a strategy is willing to try anything.

There's a fundamental distinction between strategy and operational effectiveness.

The ability to change constantly and effectively is made easier by high-level continuity.

Sound strategy starts with having the right goal.

Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it's about deliberately choosing to be different.

If all you're trying to do is essentially the same thing as your rivals, then it's unlikely that you'll be very successful.

The chief strategist of an organization has to be the leader - the CEO.

Good leaders need a positive agenda, not just an agenda of dealing with crisis.

A strategy delineates a territory in which a company seeks to be unique.

Finally, strategy must have continuity. It can't be constantly reinvented.

The underlying principles of strategy are enduring, regardless of technology or the pace of change.

I'm really puzzled by why people in societies find it difficult to work collaboratively together with other people in societies.

So companies have to be very schizophrenic. On one hand, they have to maintain continuity of strategy. But they also have to be good at continuously improving.

Change brings opportunities. On the other hand, change can be confusing.

Companies operating in urban communities have a tremendous ripple effect.

Unfortunately, I'm an engineer. I'm always thinking about, what's the task and how do I get it done? And some of my tasks are pretty broad, and pretty fuzzy, and pretty funky, but that's the way I think.

The best CEOs I know are teachers, and at the core of what they teach is strategy.

The essence of strategy is that you must set limits on what you're trying to accomplish.

The thing is continuity of strategic direction and continuous improvement in how you do things are absolutely consistent with each other. In fact theyre mutually reinforcing.

Strategy 101 is about choices: You can't be all things to all people.

Billions are wasted on ineffective philanthropy. Philanthropy is decades behind business in applying rigorous thinking to the use of money.

The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.

If your goal is anything but profitability - if it's to be big, or to grow fast, or to become a technology leader - you'll hit problems.

Good leaders need a positive agenda not just an agenda of dealing with crisis.

The thing is, continuity of strategic direction and continuous improvement in how you do things are absolutely consistent with each other. In fact, they're mutually reinforcing.

You can't have a healthy society unless you have healthy companies that are making a profit, that are employing people and that are growing.

In America, the problems of poverty and low income, particularly for minorities, are disproportionately focused in the inner cities. Shining a spotlight on the businesses growing in these communities is proof that any community has the potential for entrepreneurship.

Innovation is the central issue in economic prosperity.

I teach in the medical school, the School of Public Health, the Kennedy School of Government, and the Business School. And it's the best perch... because most of my work crosses boundaries.

Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value.