Where will I make my profit tomorrow? It’s not enough for today’s business leaders just to look at where the current profits are coming from. He/she simultaneously needs to look at where the profits are going to come from tomorrow.

Who are my customers? What are their current needs? Am I providing substantial and unique value to my customers? Is my strategy really based on my core competence and unique & differentiated capabilities? Do I have serious moats protecting my business? Have I clearly defined the scope of my activities? Are my current customers allowing me to make a profit? Am I adequately capturing a part of the value that I am creating as my profit? What is my profit model? How are my customer needs changing? What are their new priorities? If my current customers are not allowing me to make a profit, who should be my new customers? Who are my toughest competitors? What is their business design? What are their business margins? Are there threats of any major disruptions from the competitors? How is the technology landscape changing and does it impact my industry? How? What core competencies need to be built for the future?

Senior business leaders must develop appropriate answers to these strategic questions to simultaneously understand “current” and “future” profit zones.