Every yr, I spend one day or so, re-read the classics- Sunzi's (Sun Tzu) Art of War, Laozi (Lao Tzu)"Tao Te Ching", Chinese Seven Strategy Classics, Musashi's The Book of Five Rings, Niccolo Machiavelli "The Art of War" and "The Prince", Niccolo Machiavelli "The Art of War", Marcus Aurelius "Meditations", Karl von Clausewitz "On War"and so forth. What books do you read to get your strategic bearings going?
I've summarized a lot of my favorites at <a href="http://www.squeezedbooks.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.squeezedbooks.com</a> - a site I created for the very purpose of sharing the "meat" of good business books.
I've read most of the ones you mention but I find that the best input for strategy is being around people. So to get my strategic bearings going I am on the board of the local yacht club, and a foundation for leisure sailors. The intrigues, back-stabbing and talking behind backs is worse than any boardroom. The great thing about these places is that if I get kicked out for backing the wrong horse or back-stabbing the wrong person it doesn't matter much. It's just a great exercise in political and strategic maneovering.