Discover Your Superpower

Discovering your superpower is within your reach. It's the unique aspect of your business that sets you apart, that you excel at like no one else, and that you are deeply passionate about. This is the key to your success. In Good to Great (Collins, 2001), Jim Collins wrote, "What can you be the best in the world at?"

Last year, while leading a team of entrepreneurial CEOs in a workshop, one CEO told the group that his company could not be the best in its market.

Oh, Contraire!

In the Hedgehog Principle (Collins), the "Best" is one of three concentric circles that integrate into the one thing that drives your business. The other two are "What drives your economic engine?" and "What are you deeply passionate about?" The good-to-great companies Collins and his team studied focused on those activities that ignited their passion, leading to significant growth and success. This could be your path to greatness.

Even if it's not crystal clear yet, if you have a deep-seated belief that you can be the best at something, this belief underscores the critical need for a clear strategic vision.

You must move your company towards world-class or best-in-class status to attract and retain the best talent. Why world-class?

World Class

Successful teams with champion status have great leaders who inspire a clear vision of the future and a clear purpose, where the culture and expectations are quickly identifiable and consistent.

Getting the small things right matters, and trust is earned every day.  And, of course, having the right talent in the right place at the right time is crucial.

Great teams and leaders desire to be part of world-class organizations. They consistently pursue excellence in all that they do. Pursuing excellence means growing and learning to improve and be better at something that matters.

Organizations invariably invest substantial upfront time and resources in large-scale changes when embarking upon a new or revised vision and related strategies. However, one-off events are unsustainable and don't scale beyond the initial team.

Invest in Your People

This requires that you invest in your most important asset—your people. Let's face it—people are your company's most significant investment.

McKinsey (Building a Superpower, June 25, 2024) has found that leading companies develop skill-building journeys throughout the organization via a corporate academy, for example, to instill institutional knowledge. Changes to your vision and strategies are not short-term. It takes years to implement these changes and requires that you consider roles, skillsets, hiring, and training.

Vision and Leadership

This is the starting point. Identifying and clarifying your company's purpose, when integrated into a comprehensive strategic vision for the future, is exciting.

The answers to the questions about your firm's Why, Being The Best, and Passion, combined with understanding your organization's critical economic driver (or set of drivers), are the foundation. A well-planned strategic visioning process can and should include these.

Final Thoughts

Discovering your superpower is within your reach. Tapping into it and acknowledging it can drive your organization to greatness. Yes, it's hard work, and it will take time. Will it be worth the effort? I believe so.

Until next time!