A business must make a profit. Otherwise, it’s a charity.

However, profit is not the point of a business’ existence.

The point of a business is to add value to the marketplace.

Profit is an indicator of how much value has been added, the reward for adding it, and a tool for continually adding more.

Esse Quam Videri – To Be Rather Than To Seem

We live in a world where companies (and people) spend a massive amount of resources on appearances and  facades that allow them to seem successful, seem focused on customer value, seem concerned about the greater good  – rather than investing those resources in actually being those things.

Authenticity is the more sustainable option, and in the long run, far more cost effective.

Growth can be sporadic.  Growth can be by accident.  Growth can be unpredictable. Growth can be in all directions at once.  Growth can happen solely for growth’s sake.

This describes a cancerous tumor, not a sustainable company.

Growth should be on Purpose – It is intentional and has a defined outcome.

Growth should be by Design – It is strategically focused and guided.

Growth should be with Principle – It results from the application of core beliefs, philosophies, and fundamental understandings of value.

If your company is focused on adding value to the marketplace, its growth allows for more value to be created, and this is important for us all.  Your company has to grow.  It’s a matter of principle.

The speed of the market is accelerating.  The things that used to secure an advantage, at least for several years, now only last a few months, if not weeks.

Your products and services will be matched.  Your business model, replicated.  Your technology will become obsolete.  Your marketing, dated.

In the end, it is the experience clients consistently have with your company – your brand – that lasts.

But the advantage is not in your brand, the advantage is in your ability to continually execute your brand.  And execution requires people and their talent.

Not just the people and talent you acquire.  They could just as easily be acquired by someone else.

Ultimately, the only competitive advantage you have left is your ability to develop talent that consistently executes a brand experience that separates you from your competition – and to develop it with speed, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Training programs often exist as a solution in a vacuum.   They have an intended outcome, but are expected to solve whatever problem exists in 4 hours, a day, a week, or however long the “training” is.  This is not the answer.  A comprehensive education program is.  Such programs:

1. Align and integrate with the company’s growth strategy by design
2. Have training components that are interactive, experiential, and inspire continued learning
3. Provide ongoing support and accountability for execution, including training and empowerment for managers and other supervisors
4. Are not based on constantly evolving techniques and tactics, but instead on fundamental, unchanging principles of human communication, learning, and behavior

You’ve heard other companies say, “Here is our system.  Let us teach you how to use it.”

We say, “What do you want your system to be?  Let us help you build it.”

The education programs we develop with companies are customized to their specific business scenarios.  This means aligning education with strategic objectives, but also taking into consideration the brand image and message of the company, marketing channels, sales cycles, work flows, management structures, geography, existing training, technology, and other systems that are already in place.

The result is a program that the company owns, is integral to its culture, and can continue to evolve over time with changing company dynamics.