Roger Martin

"Lenny" refers to Lenny Rachitsky, the interviewer. "Playing to play" means competing without a clear strategy to win distinctively.

You'll know you're playing to play if you're not aiming to, and accomplishing, having either an offer where Lenny walks into the store, whatever kind of store it is, and says to the person in the store, I want that brand.

Strategy is an integrated set of choices that compels desired customer action.

You should attempt to solve something where your current outcomes that you're getting are lower than the outcomes you wish you were getting. That's what I call a gap.

The ultimate is, it's like the ultimate weapon is the one you never use. The ultimate way to compete to win is to never actually be forced to compete.

My general advice is always the same, which is, it can take a while, but in the end the customers will triumph.