Mastering Market Leadership - Strategic Insights for Senior Managers Webinar Recording February 2026

Why It Matters

Equipping senior managers with updated, data‑driven strategic tools enables better market selection and value creation, directly impacting organizational competitiveness and shareholder returns.

Key Takeaways

• Short 4‑day courses target senior managers for leadership skills.
• Course focuses on unlocking existing competitive advantages within firms.
• Modernized SWOT analysis uses numeric scoring for market comparison.
• GE‑McKinsey matrix updated to prioritize attractive markets and actions.
• Participants learn to assess market attractiveness before strategic decisions.

Summary

The webinar introduced Alliance Manchester Business School’s executive education portfolio, highlighting a series of four‑day short courses designed for senior managers to sharpen leadership capabilities and earn a professional diploma in leadership. The flagship offering, "Unlocking Strategic Competitive Advantage," scheduled for April, promises to help participants identify and leverage the assets already embedded in their organizations. Key insights included research showing professionals seek skill upgrades, networking, and career progression, which informed the design of concise, in‑person modules covering data and AI, digital transformation, and market strategy. A central theme was modernizing classic strategic tools: a numeric SWOT framework that enables direct market‑to‑market comparison, and an updated GE‑McKinsey matrix that scores business units on attractiveness and competitive position. Brian Lucas illustrated these concepts with vivid examples—IBM’s divestiture of its PC line, the tennis‑grand‑slam analogy for market selection, and the pitfalls of using word‑based SWOT analyses for segment decisions. He emphasized that most firms already possess the ingredients for success; the challenge lies in configuring them correctly and targeting the most lucrative markets. For senior managers, mastering these refreshed tools can sharpen market entry decisions, align resources with high‑potential opportunities, and ultimately drive shareholder value. By applying numeric assessments and refreshed portfolio matrices, leaders can move from “big fish in a small pond” to competing effectively in larger, more rewarding arenas.

Original Description

Join Professor Lukas for our latest webinar about our Unlocking Strategic Competitive Advantage course.

Find out more about the course: www.ambs.ac.uk/usca