When I asked one of my clients to recommend “books on business strategy” the other day, I got such a thoughtful & intelligent reply; it’s only natural I should share it.

Nishant Kothary is a Sr. Evangelist for Microsoft’s Mix Online team, and probably the best manager I know. Below you’ll find parts of a conversation we had, in which Nishant gives practical ideas about how to use common sense and critical thinking—not just books—to successfully plan and manage your business.

On Strategy Books

As it turns out, I’ve never picked up a book with the word “strategy” in its title. If I did then I never got through it. I’ve never really thought about it until now but I think my approach has always been to figure out what is needed in the long-run to help me/my business meet its rationally prioritized list of goals without ever succumbing to any destructive short-term thinking.

Doing What’s Needed

Depending on the project/business/situation, I may find that self-improvement is needed. For instance, I’ve been reading about “differentiation” within the context of building healthy relationships and realize now that it has a profound effect on how we conduct ourselves even in professional relationships.

Or, I may find that I need to acquire a skill/knowledge. For instance, I found out recently that I need to do more research and be a more critical thinker for certain topics—like the standards debate—which previously I’ve taken for granted.

And then at times, I find out that I need to learn more about the world. The idea that people are systematically irrational was something I went looking for after quietly coping with seemingly ridiculous stakeholder behavior.

What is Strategic Thinking?

I’ve always thought of it as a way of being, rather than a skill that you can go acquire. I think “strategy” is born somewhere near where a few qualities meet, most notably and off the top of my head: vision, integrity, discipline, experience, street smarts, empathy, competitiveness, differentiation, perceptiveness, technical competence.

That said, there are some qualities that all strategic thinkers share in common, while others are specific to their environments. And, of course, the notion evolves.

In a nutshell, I think good strategy is about habitually asking the tough questions, formulating your best answers (and this often requires evolving one’s self, ideas and methods) and then acting on them without compromising your value system and long-term goals.

Conclusion?

Use your common sense and critical thinking to come up with the best strategy. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Check out Nishant and his teammates’ writing in the Mix Online Opinions section. Good stuff on design, development, and other web things there.

And as for the best strategy books? Results are inconclusive. You could think through the concept of differentiation (here). Or just pick up a book that inspires you to think/plan/do business better (Nishant likes Outliers and even Guy Kawasaki’s Rules for Revolutionaries).

If you have any bright ideas or suggestions for great books about business strategy, SWOT Analyses, or anything else—I’d love to hear them.