1. Introduction

Strategy needn’t be mysterious. Conceptually, it is simple and straightforward. It requires clear and hard thinking, real creativity, courage, and personal leadership.

—A.G. Lafley, CEO, Procter & Gamble

When you think about going sailing off the coast of a faraway land, you probably don’t imagine yourself fighting for your life in a sudden, horrible storm. But that’s what happened to us, and I’m very fortunate to be alive to tell the tale.

Several years ago, I took a break from my responsibilities with Hewlett Packard Enterprise. I sailed with my wife, Hope, and my then-eight-year-old son, Henry, to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a set of islands in the Lesser Antilles archipelago just north of Venezuela. As a family, we prefer ...

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