What characteristics separate those organizations that really create value? What makes these organizations sustain over the long term? In my many years working in, observing, and participating in different organizations, a few attributes stand out:

1. The organizations know who they are. They have well defined and coherent directions.

2. They adhere to a easily understood, yet powerful missions. Customers or the public can easily grasp what they do.

3. They live their missions. The organization usually has a culture that is dedicated to the concepts of what they do.

4. They do usually one thing or a small set of things very well. They don’t over-extend their strategies, nor over-commit beyond their means.

5. They have a viable plan that creates financial security. They are not dependent on others, and they sustain themselves without creating financial turmoil in the organization.

6. The people that work for the organization are very committed to it. They find joy in their work.

7. The organization thinks ahead, invests, and adapts to changes in the environment, without changing its core.

8. The organization creates a product or service signature that demonstrates a hard to replicate, but valuable skill. This creates long term security.

9. The organization regularly adjusts, evaluates and modifies structures that continues to raise the bar on its quality and performance. The organization embraces learning and ongoing personal development.

10. The organization likes people and actively supports them. There is an absence of power struggles or the use of control structures. People are valued in the organization.