Mind the Gap - by Skip York (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Finally Bridge the Gap Between Strategic Intent and Operational Reality

Strategic plans fail every day. Leadership unveils ambitious visions that never translate into action. Organizations invest countless hours in planning exercises that produce shelf documents rather than competitive advantage.

Mind the Gap offers a different path. Drawing on thirty years advising global corporations, Skip York delivers a practical framework for executives who must make decisions with long-term consequences.

Readers will discover how to:

• Distinguish strategic decisions from merely important ones
• Define aspirations that guide organizational choices
• Select where to play with discipline
• Develop winning approaches in chosen markets
• Build required capabilities
• Create management systems that reinforce strategic direction.

Through case studies of organizations from Apple to General Electric, York demonstrates why the most powerful strategic choices involve saying "no" to attractive opportunities that don't fit. His "three-legged stool" framework connects current assets, future aspirations, and the actions that bridge them.

Whether you lead a multinational corporation, a growing enterprise, or a non-profit institution, Mind the Gap equips you to make strategy a living force throughout your organization.

Review Quotes

"York has lasered in on the reason so many organizations lose their way. Mind the Gap will reground you in your approach to aligning operations with strategy. Every leader should make this read a periodic pilgrimage toward progress and successful execution. I dare you to expose your entire organization to the inerrant and timeless concepts that York so clearly unpacks ... and see what happens. When everyone understands their organization's purpose, strategy, and their role in accomplishing these, it is transformative."
-- Walt Bennett
Founding President, Organic Outreach International; Former Navy Engineer and Submariner

"Skip York demystifies strategy in Mind the Gap. Grab your pencil and paper! You'll want to write down the lessons Skip brings to this rich and vital business tool!"
-- Amanda Haddad
Oil and Gas Strategy and Project Development Professional

"Strategic thinking is a discipline to maximize your and your organization's effectiveness. One can't be a strategic thinker without understanding strategy, what it is and what it isn't--and for this you need a toolkit. Skip York provides the definitive toolkit and the distilled essentials to get you and your organization on the way to winning and achieving your purpose."
-- Terrance Kutryk
Former CEO, Alliance Pipeline Corporation

"Mind the Gap is a thought-provoking tour of the value of a structured approach to strategic thinking within organizations. Skip articulates various elements that define a well-structured strategy, while highlighting the importance of long-term thinking--which is too often discounted--for sustained growth and success. Skip's exploration is intriguing, and the reader will almost certainly find elements that relate to their own experiences."
-- Kenneth B. Medlock, III, PhD
James A. Baker, III and Susan G. Baker Fellow in Energy and Natural Resources; Senior Director, Center for Energy Studies, Baker Institute for Public Policy; Co-director, Masters of Energy Economics, Department of Economics, Rice University

"Dr. York has brought new insight and clarity to the age-old problems of strategic thinking and organizational development. Mind the Gap is both an education and a guidebook. His thoughtful analyses of successes and failures among the giants we all know--like GE, Apple, and Getty--invites one to rethink strategy and purpose anew."
-- Dr. Mark Nechodom
Retired State and Federal Government CEO

About the Author

SKIP YORK is a non-resident fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and Chief Energy Strategist at Turner, Mason & Company. He leads DSC Advising, his strategic advisory firm, and teaches corporate strategy at the University of Wyoming. Previously, York served as Head of Commodity Strategy at BHP, Vice President at Wood Mackenzie, Senior Associate at McKinsey & Company, and Advisor to ExxonMobil. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Virginia. A sought-after speaker and media commentator on strategic leadership and energy markets, York has appeared on major broadcast networks. He resides in The Woodlands, Texas.