Do You Consider Culture a Source of Competitive Advantage?

We spend a majority of our time immersed in the “rocket science” of our businesses. For example, if your business sells baked products, I wager that your colleagues and you likely spend most of your time thinking about customer, product, marketing, production, supply chain, distribution, pricing, new formulations, industry trends, etc. Yeah, and of course, finances :-).

Whether you think of it consciously or not, if your colleagues and you are like most executives, you presume that these are the areas where much of the magic lies that will get you to your success objectives. Embedded in the art, craft and science of getting deliciously distinctive baked goods to your eagerly awaiting hungry customers. So, voila, the secret of how you will beat your competitors must lie somewhere in there.

The mistake we make is not in that logic. Rather, it is in excluding from that logic the most fundamental force that will drive whatever magic you have derived from your rocket science to the moon and beyond. Yes, I am referring to culture.

As the author of the article I share with you states “Culture holds the power to inspire employees to move themselves, to move mountains, and to support each other in a way that, when done right, is truly irreplaceable.”