Over the years, Marty Neumeier has published eight bestsellers and his ninth —SCRAMBLE — will be published in October. There is no other business thinker I hold in higher regard. His mind reminds me of a Swiss Army knife.

For example, these are what he characterizes as “The Five Qs of Strategy”:

1. What is our purpose?

“This is the starting place for any strategy. Without a clearly defined purpose, there’s no compelling reason to engage in any particular business.”

2. Who do we serve?

Then chairman and CEO, Herb Kelleher once explained Southwest Airlines’ extraordinary success this way: “We take great care of our people. They take great care of our customers. And our customers take great care of our shareholders.”

3. Where should we compete?

“Branding is a game of categories. The category you choose to compete in, and the products and services you sell, are key factors in your ability to win.”

4. How will we win?

“The most successful brands aren’t better or cheaper. They’re different. More imprtant, they’re different in ways that customers find compelling.”

5. How will we grow?

“To succeed and grow in today’s volatile marketplace, you need the ability to innovate at will — to continuously adapt to shifting circumstances.”

* * *

Marty Neumeier is an American author and speaker who writes on the topics of brand, design, innovation, and creativity. He currently serves as Director of Transformation for Liquid Agency, a branding agency headquartered in San Jose, California.

To learn more about him and his brilliant work, please click here.

I urge you to pre-order SCRAMBLE now.