Brand & Core Values is one of the 11 Elements of an Exceptional Business.

Core Values represent the internal values a company holds, while Brand Values represent the external values presented to the public as the company’s brand. These values are the most important catalyst in an organization. They form the cornerstone for everything that a company does and accomplishes. Common values are what holds a diverse workforce together to accomplish the extraordinary. The values must be clearly defined to guide how people behave toward each other within the organization and direct how the organization interacts with its customers.

The Builder-Protector Ratio is a dimension from the Business Growth Framework.

The Builder-Protector Ratio measures the overall organizational mindset as it relates to the levels of confidence and caution within the company. It is captured as a mathematical expression—a ratio—of the relative confidence and caution the organization feels as a whole. To thrive, an organization needs to properly balance the two mindsets at the appropriate ratios for an organization’s Stage of Growth. 

The Classic Challenges are a dimension from the Business Growth Framework.

Classic Challenges are the top five challenges businesses typically face in each Stage of Growth. Our research has identified 24 unique Classic Challenges, some of which appear during more than one Stage. 

Awareness of the Classic Challenges doesn’t mean that the business can avoid them altogether; many are an inevitable factor of growth. There are several advantages, however, to knowing what they are and when to expect them.

The Classic Challenges represent surface symptoms of deeper, underlying issues. Recognizing the challenges is an important first step to determining which of the Elements need to be infused into an organization to facilitate growth, even in the face of these challenges.

With the link between Classic Challenges and Elements, the team can take specific actions to resolve the challenge in such a way that addresses the underlying issue, achieving greater long-term health for the organization.

Customer Segments come from the Business Model key element.

Customer Segments represent the key groups of customers a company serves. A business can unintentionally focus on the kinds of customers they’ve always had. Establishing three distinct Customer Segments can help a business look for new types of customers for their offerings. At the same time, three Customer Segments avoids the problem of having too many segments, which often results in a loss of focus.

Once the Customer Segments have been determined, the company has a way of organizing its business development activities including messaging and strategy. The different segments may have different buying triggers (reasons people buy from you, including needs, desires, and pain points), and therefore require different methods, mechanics, and frequency of interactions.

The Functional Org Chart comes from the Organizational Structure key element.

An Organization Chart, or Org Chart, is a basic tool used by many businesses to communicate where individuals fit within an organization. In Organizational ReWilding, the variation of this concept is called a Functional Org Chart. The key difference is that the Functional Org Chart focuses on positions, not people; no names appear on the chart.

This tool helps instill one of the core principles of Organizational Structure: first organize the work, then organize the people doing the work. Many times, an organization builds its structure around the people who are currently in the company. This results in a fragile company that is weakened each time a person leaves.

The Gates of Focus is a dimension from the Business Growth Framework.

All activity in an organization falls into three fundamental areas: People, Profit, and Process. Think of each of these as a door or gate behind which lies opportunities for the organization to grow. 

At any given Stage of Growth, the patterns observed in growing businesses suggest that there is an ideal order of prioritization of these three Gates. Said another way, one of these three holds the greatest opportunity for growth in your organization, based on your Stage of Growth.

Each of these areas is important all the time. However, their ideal priority changes based on your Stage of Growth. 

Participants in Growth Groups learn how to apply Organizational ReWilding to their businesses both today and in the future. At the end of the program, participants develop a Growth Plan – a 12-month map the business leader uses to direct growth over the subsequent year. The plan is customized to meet the needs of the organization while leaning on the topics learned and applied to the business during the program. 

Leadership Style is a dimension from the Business Growth Framework.

Leadership Style is a way of categorizing the various approaches of how the leader interacts with individuals in the organization. 

Organizational ReWilding Stages of Growth draws its Leadership Styles from research by Daniel Goleman, as documented in his book Primal Leadership (2002). The six Leadership Styles are Affiliative, Coaching, Commanding, Democratic, Pacesetting, and Visionary.

In each Stage of Growth, there is an ideal blend of three Leadership Styles. This blend includes a primary, secondary, and tertiary Leadership Style that is optimal for that Stage.

The One-to-One Process is one of the 11 Elements of an Exceptional Business.

A One-to-One Process provides a regular feedback loop between supervisor and employee that promotes proactive inquiry, creates personal accountability, and builds a bond of trust. It is one of the foundational structures needed to create a high functioning company. Structured and consistent communication between supervisors and employees fosters trust and provides opportunity to grow and nurture the staff.

The Position Role Sheet comes from the key element Organizational Structure.

The Position Role Sheet is a management tool that organizes the work through Positions, Roles, and Types of Work. It is a fundamental way to accomplish the goal of first organizing the work before organizing the people doing the work. As a building block for departments of all sizes, Position Role Sheets break down the roles and responsibilities of each position within a department.

The Position Role Sheet is also helpful to employees, as it provides greater structure and clarity to their positions. It also helps employees receive recognition when fulfilling work in multiple positions.

Revenue Groups & Circles come from the Business Model key element.

Revenue Groups and Revenue Circles are methods that stimulate critical thinking to organize and diversify a company’s revenue streams.

Revenue Groups are a way of categorizing the offerings a business delivers to its customers. Each Revenue Group comprises a set of offerings that require similar operational structures. 

Revenue Circles are a way of critically thinking about revenue diversity. A resilient business will have revenue groups falling into all three Revenue Circles—Core, Adjacent, and Edge. 

Used in tandem, these two methods help a business leader consciously architect the business’s operational structures and identify opportunities for building a more resilient company.

The Stages of Growth is a dimension from the Business Growth Framework.

The Stages of Growth has been developed over 30 years of ongoing research and observation of more than 1,500 small and midsize businesses across dozens of industries. The focus of this research is on understanding and deciphering the patterns, behaviors, and characteristics of growth these businesses experienced.

The key finding in our research is that the number of employees in a company is the biggest driver of complexity, and it is the level of complexity that determines the rules of growth. Within each of the Seven Stages, there are rules and ideals that must be in alignment in order to create the optimal environment for business growth. When a business fails to follow the rules of growth, it often gets stuck or regresses.

Three Faces of a Leader is a dimension from the Business Growth Framework.

The Three Faces of a Leader measures the proportion of time and energy a leader spends embodying the three primary leadership roles, or faces, within an organization.

The Three Faces are Visionary, Manager, and Specialist. Research tells us that for each Stage of Growth, there is an ideal allocation of energy between these three faces. Said another way, at each Stage of Growth, the organization needs the leader to spend different portions of time wearing the Visionary Face, the Manager Face, and the Specialist Face.

Transition Zones are a dimension from the Business Growth Framework.

Transition zones are periods of change a business goes through as it exits one Stage of Growth and enters the next. Transition Zones happen to every business as they move from one Stage into another.

During this period of change, businesses commonly experience a period of chaos where things feel disconcerting and overwhelming. Transition Zone are like rough waters. These periods can be especially perplexing because the organization is often experiencing positive advancement and growth right up to the point the transition begins. Knowing to expect them can help an organization get through without panicking or retreating.