Competitiveness is the ability of your business to deliver on what it takes to win. Winning in business is all about delivering greater value than anyone else. It is about adaptability and agility but, more importantly, it’s about identifying where that greater value lies tomorrow.
Being decisive is not about catching up, being decisive is setting the rules of the game and moving on before competitors even know the game has changed. I describe these traits as being competitively fit.
Do you follow or do you define the new marketplace?
In today’s marketplace growing and sustaining a great business is the only real choice. Why would you want to be in business to be second best and to take what others have left on the table for you? But to sustain a great business you must have everyone in your business totally focused on delivering greater value and defining tomorrow’s markets and customer value. Innovation, agility and adaptability are critical traits for any competitive business. But the real question for any business leader is, where do these traits come from and how do l build a business that continuously regenerates these traits and itself?
There exists within your business, whether you recognise it or not, a competitive engine that determines whether your business performs well or continuously trips over its own feet. It is operating every moment of every day and influencing every aspect of your business’s performance. Your every action impacts how this engine runs, again whether you recognise it or not. The engine is formed the moment you begin to think about starting your business, and continues for the entire life of your business. Would you expect the engine of your car to run perfectly for the entire lifespan of your car if you never tuned it?
Have a problem that you cannot solve in your business? Look to the competitive engine for the solution.
You must recognise the engine in your business, how it is built and how to tune all of its operating parts. If you focus on the engine, then all the performance issues that exist in your business will begin to disappear. And suddenly you will see performance beyond your wildest expectations.
