Differentiation in the market is important to sustaining long-term business growth and success. There are 2 areas through which a business can gain a competitive edge over its competitors. It can be done via its service offerings and the relationships it builds with its ideal clients.

To develop and maintain that market differentiation, it takes a comprehensive and consistent effort throughout the company. It needs a corporate culture in which innovation, creativity and motivation thrive.

There are five areas on which business leaders must focus on to make this culture; which I call a “Champion Culture” that will result in a high performing, high morale workplace which will generate outstanding results and set you apart from the competition:

C = Commitment

Teams become champions because their athletes are dedicated to the persuasive Vision, Strategy, and Purpose of getting to the championship match. In business, companies can create a similar commitment by communicating and creating a compelling Vision, Strategy, and Purpose for their team members.

Are your workers committed or simply complying with their job descriptions to collect a paycheck?

H = Humility

Athletes become champions as they face tougher competition every step of the way because they continually improve. This means they must be open to feedback and always look for ways to get better.

Does your company culture espouse an environment where learning from errors is encouraged and asking for help is seen as a strength?

A = Accountability

There are two components to accountability that creates winners, setting performance expectations and measuring job performance against those expectations. To maintain progress toward agreed upon objectives however, most companies fall short in managing specific job performance accountabilities.

What is your institution’s process for conveying specific upfront performance expectations and handling accountability to the desired performance?

M = Motivation

Champions are action oriented. Find a way through, over, under or around to keep yourself on track when obstacles arise. I’m astonished at how many business owners, CEOs and other business professionals have significant challenges with the habit of procrastination.

How motivated is the team? How are procrastination and avoidance issues impacting the bottom line of your company?

P = Preparation

Champions appear prepared. They review films of the opponents to learn the trends, strengths, and weaknesses they can exploit. In business, you’ve probably experienced far too many team members showing ill-prepared. Not enough time is invested in preparing for key meetings, the workday, the work week, and sales presentations.

How can your organization raise the bar or planning to start working like a CHAMP?

Concentrate on raising the bar in those five areas to create a Champion Culture at your business. Doing this will increase the level of creativity, innovation and motivation applied to differentiating your services, your products and your customer relationships in the market thereby giving you the edge you’re looking for.

• company
• culture