In an era driven by network effects, smaller players struggle to compete against bigger platforms. The trick to gaining ground on a much larger rival, says Harvard Business School professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee, is choosing a strategy that can’t easily be imitated. A good example is TaoBao’s strategy for displacing eBay in China, back in 2007.

“Creativity has to be at the forefront because if you don't do that, then one day you will wake up and you will discover that your competitor has an edge on you,” says Cirque du Soleil executive vice chairman Daniel Lamarre. He explains why it’s important to stay true to your brand while experimenting with creative new ideas and how Cirque constantly analyzes audience feedback to measure the success of its creative experiments.

From corporate social responsibility to ESG, an increasing number of for-profit organizations are pursuing positive social impact. But to “do well by doing good,” Jacob Harold (cofounder of Candid; former CEO of Guidestar) tells HBR IdeaCast host Curt Nickisch that you need a good

strategy. Otherwise, things can go very wrong.

Planning is comforting but it’s a terrible way to make strategy, says Roger Martin, former dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. In contrast, setting strategy should push your organization outside its comfort zone.

Getting your sales team on board with your strategy shouldn’t be an afterthought, Harvard Business School professor Frank Cespedes argues. After all, the engine of many businesses is a strong sales core. But aligning your strategy with sales isn’t just about communicating your ideas effectively. You have to hire carefully and use smart incentives to guide sales behavior.

Subscriptions aren’t new – the business model dates back to trade guilds in the 12th century. But Robbie Kellman Baxter, an expert on the business of subscriptions, says with new billing platforms, remote customer support, and digital services, it’s worth considering how to make subscription business models work for your company.

With rapidly changing markets and emerging technologies, setting the right price is harder than ever. But pricing strategy consultant Rafi Mohammed tells HBR IdeaCast host Sarah Green Carmichael that it’s possible to make better decisions about pricing if you understand how pricing and demand interact in your business and you have good market research to guide you.