Organizational Healthspan

I was recently asked what is the best measure of success for a business.

What would you say ? Is it size ? profitability ? growth rate ? market share ? or even the number of employees ?

All those are very valid answers. But here comes this incredible crisis with its scary procession of bankrupcies , unemployment and social dramas….and that is just the beginning of it. For me , it has been the confirmation of a profund belief I have had for years : the earmark of genuine success is longevity.

There are so many obstacles to overcome for a company in its lifetime : predatory competition, market collapses, managerial shake ups, customers failures, financial crisis, dissent between shareholders. Surviviving those requires an incredible amount of resilience and …a bit of luck.

It is the sign of outstanding companies, just like the greatest champions have the ability to stay at the top when they reach it .

Hence, beyond the concrete business objectives , appears a critical purpose for the owners and the managers of a business : I call it « organisational healthspan ». It requires a specific and new posture , in order to step successfully into the new era , The Day After.

To disseminate this approach, we have prepared an induction program with my partners at SENSEMAKERS to help participants embrace successfully the methods that will yield enduring success for their enterprises .