As a strategist with interests in leadership and presentations, I’m laser-focused on helping CEOs and other leaders build sustainable companies that grow exponentially – for all its stakeholders. I invest myself to learn the strategies of successful companies so I can share the lessons.
Zeynep Ton, who focuses on how companies can use a Good Job Strategy, (GJS), to create enduring companies just published in HBR an article on one: Costco’s Jim Sinegal on Building a Company that Will Endure. It does an excellent job at describing how winning companies use a process I call “Synergistic Alignment” (SA). By “braiding” individual “strands” of a business (e.g., jobs, pricing, culture, structure, etc.) to support each other and create a “whole” that is greater than the sum of the parts, a company can deliver a powerful Competitive Advantage.
Trust is earned through the daily presentation of our activities toward all stakeholders: employees, customers, investors, and community members. Costco “creates a virtuous cycle of trust.” By ensuring that customers trust that they are getting the best value; employees trust that they are being respected and are building long-term careers, rather than simply doing today’s tasks. Yes, it may cost more in some ways, but the ROI is even greater. By hiring people that favor development, growth and longer-term retention and developing them to be engaged throughout their potential 60-year portfolio of careers, shareholders trust that the company will endure.
When the time comes for the leaders or your company to present its value proposition to scale, merge, acquire other companies or be acquired or just exit to the next generation of leaders – it is the trust that is earned and demonstrable daily that cements a favorable deal. The time for leaders to plan for successful exits of an enduring company is always – now.