A to Z, be the best

The best.  Who wouldn’t want to be…the best?  Imagine what “the best” of your class in your business is.  What are the traits of the best of your type of organization?

Here’s an A-to-Z list of possibilities to ponder:

Action orientation.  “The best” organization has a strong bias toward getting the job done rather than talking about it.

Brand consciousness.  Products and/or services offered by “the best” are not commodities but are branded, special and functional to their purpose.  “The best” artfully tailors marketing and offerings to the customer’s need and circumstances.

Culture.   “The best” has a healthy, respectful, invigorating and fun corporate culture.  Customers, employees and suppliers are happy.

Deal focus.  “The best” knows in transactions and negotiations both company and customer need to be winners, rather than setting up win/lose deals where short-term gain leads to long-term loss.

Entrepreneurship.  Risk-taking and new activities are encouraged.  “The best” knows positive change and learning come from moving out of the comfort zone and trying new things.

Future view.  “The best” is future oriented, in it for the long term.  It invests in people, operations and facilities to increase its value to stakeholders. 

Great.  As Jim Collins showed in Good to Great, “the best” does not settle for “good” results.  To be “the best,” it demands “great” results.

Honesty.  “The best” is straightforward in dealings externally and with employees.

Integrity.  “The best” exhibits the utmost integrity.  It is fair and dependable.  It makes things right for the customer when value for dollar is not delivered for whatever reason.

Joiner.  “The best” joins and leads industry organizations, invests in its industry and communities, promotes education and professionalism, and seeks to raise the bar for all.

Key factors.  “The best” makes the keys to success apparent to employees.  Guiding principles, the mission statement, strategies, policies, procedures, etc., show the way.

Leadership.  Leaders are apparent in “the best” company; leadership is nurtured at all levels. 

Measurement.  Knowing “you can’t manage it if you don’t measure it,” “the best” develops and maintains data on all aspects of its operations.

New products.  “The best” does not rest on its laurels, but brings new products and services to market, both line extensions – morphing an existing product/service – and also truly new products/services.  “The best” knows if a product or service is going to be supplanted, better its own new offerings do this than the competition’s.

Opinions.  “The best” encourages employees, suppliers, customers, etc., to share views about the company, products and markets.  It knows healthy dialogue leads to improvement and loyalty.

Productivity.  “The best” understands the need to minimize cycle time – the time from order to delivery or completion – as well as costs.

Quality.  “The best’s” products/services are exceptional: they fully meet the need, are consistent and durable, have a long service life, are low maintenance, and more.  Over time they get even better – they are upgraded based on marketplace experience and dedication to quality improvement.

Relationship building.  “The best” is totally focused on the customer, meeting customer needs, and building enduring relationships.

Shared vision.  “The best” has a highly focused and articulated vision of the future based on its specific mission.  This vision is apparent to all associated with the company.

Technology and tools.  “The best” employs current technologies and other state-of-the-art tools, and is exploring emerging technologies to raise productivity and quality.

Understanding.  Through on-going research and customer interaction, “the best” builds and an intimate understanding of customers and markets.

Value driven.  “The best” is not focused on the lowest price but on highest value for the price.  “The best” knows competing purely on price is a ruinous strategy except for those few companies that totally dominate a market.

World view.  “The best” understands no matter where it operates, it is in the global economy; geography does not limit competitors and markets.

X-ray exposure.  “The best” has a continuing desire to expose all aspects of operations for improvement, as an X-ray exposes broken bones.

Yardsticks.  “The best” uses key yardsticks to control operations and yield top results, such as downtime, throughput, sales per employee, etc.

Zealous.  ‘The best” is zealous in establishing its brands and developing understanding of its unique value proposition.

How does your organization stack up?  Why not plan and act now to move your company into the ranks of “the best”?