“Think about the person who’s making the choices. Not all leaders are the same: A CEO with a marketing background will make very different choices than one with a supply-chain history. Third, it’s important to understand how decision-makers are likely to behave by examining their past. Once the data is in place, the second part involves understanding what tools a competitor will leverage to make strategic choices with that data: assets, facilities, supply chains, distribution setups, government relations, and more. The first part is standard competitive intelligence: reviewing annual reports, listening to a competitor’s earnings call. In a recent webinar with MIT Sloan Management Review, Horn described competitive insight as a four-part process for turning data into action. He wrote the newly released book “ Inside the Competitor’s Mindset: How to Predict Their Next Move and Position Yourself for Success” to help companies better understand the actions of competitors - from startups to traditional organizations - and how to strategize accordingly.

When they fail to take competitors seriously, they’re caught off guard and unable to act or react effectively. Horn believes that business leaders tend to dismiss their competitors’ actions as irrational at their peril.

What is matter made of