Seth Godin’s “This Is Strategy” — a practical summary
Sep 17, 2025
Seth Godin treats strategy as a way of thinking that leads to clear choices and useful change. The book reads as short reflections that push leaders to define the change they seek, pick a game they can win, and commit to the trade offs that make progress possible.
The core idea
Strategy is a set of choices made with intention. It clarifies:
1- Where to focus
2- Whom to serve first
3- What to ignore. (probably the most important)
Godin frames this as disciplined thinking rather than a template driven application. The goal is momentum with a small group that cares, that can induce an effect or lead it, then scale through learning loops.
This is what he recommends:
Serve a smallest viable audience
Begin with a narrow group that will feel the impact right away. Define who they are, what they value, and what “better” looks like for them. Earn permission to engage. Growth follows once this audience succeeds and talks about it.
Make an assertion you can test
State the bet you are making in a plain sentence. List the assumptions under it. Treat this as a blueprint to test with real users and visible behavior. This anchors the work in learning rather than opinion.
Map the system
List the actors, incentives, and constraints that shape results. Identify a few leverage points where a small push can move the whole system. Place your bets there. Godin urges leaders to think in systems to avoid busy work that looks like progress.
Choose the game and the trade offs
Decide whether you play a long game or a short game. Write down three attractive paths you will say no to. As Godin puts it, every strategy requires choice and that means declining work you could do. This posture reduces drift and protects focus.
Create useful tension
Design moments that nudge people from later to now. Show a clear promise and the smallest next step. Tension works when it respects the audience and leads to a better state for them.
Recruit the first few who care
Name the first ten or first hundred who will try, talk, and spread. Serve them deeply. Early committed supporters unlock adoption for the next circle. Godin has long stressed the importance of these first adopters.
Set leading indicators
Pick a few weekly measures you can influence. Tie each measure to a loop in your system map. Use thresholds to decide when to stop, pivot, or scale. This turns strategy into a cadence rather than an annual ritual.
Work in public with a steady pace
Write down your posture toward the market and your pace of change. Protect the pace you choose. Long games reward resilience and compounding trust. Godin’s materials around the book and course reinforce this cadence mindset.
A one page template you can use today
Use these fields to translate the book into action for your team.
Change you seek. One sentence with who, what, and by when.
Smallest viable audience. The people you will serve first.
Assertion and assumptions. The bet and the risks.
System map. Actors, incentives, constraints, and two leverage points.
The game. Long or short and the rules you accept.
Three trade offs. Attractive options you will decline and why.
First supporters. Who they are and how you will help them succeed.
Leading indicators. Two or three measures with thresholds.
Posture and pace. How you will show up and how fast you will move.
Why this book matters
Leaders face noise, urgency, and internal pressure to please everyone. Godin offers a repeatable posture that favors clarity, permission, and compounding learning.
The effect is a strategy you can ship, measure, and improve without ceremony. It is concise, practical, and built for real teams in motion.
Link to full book here
