#178 – Skill – the Third Cornerstone of Business Success

Two months ago I introduced my Four Cornerstones for Business Success model, which I developed after working with hundreds of companies over a twenty-five year period. The model is being published in the NorthBay Business Journal as a four-part series. The first Cornerstone for Business Success is Purpose, which includes not only a viable business model, but vision, mission, and values. The second Cornerstone is Strategies, your chosen path, selected to achieve your desired goals, and shaped by your vision and values. This brings us to the third Cornerstone – Skill.

Food for Thought ~

Expertise and execution are the tangible manifestations of a company’s purpose and strategies, so now the matter of skill becomes particularly relevant. Without excellence in execution, even inspired purpose and brilliant strategies will be for naught. In strategic planning circles, the saying goes, “Execution trumps strategy every time.” Execution is the implementation of the strategies you have chosen. The Skill factor is the consideration of both how and how well things get done. What are the quality control systems? How timely is the work? What are the standards for performance, from ethics to customer service to business practices? Excellence in execution requires a commitment to long-term internal development efforts, investing in the human capital as well as the other resources needed to get the work done.
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Question for the day ~

As a leader, do you inspire others to high levels of skill and performance? Do you set the example with your own commitment to professional growth, continuous improvement and personal development? Does your organization have a culture of accountability?

In Closing ~

Perhaps you have heard the adage: “How well you do something is how well you do everything.” Choose to work with people who set their own high standards.

Mary