Is business like a tree?

According to author Hank Moore, it is. The roots symbolize the focus and future direction of an organization. The trunk is its body of knowledge. The branches are the departments and competency areas. The leaves are the employees. So how do you know if your tree is healthy and likely to grow or undernourished and likely to wither?

According to Moore, growing trees and growing businesses:

1. stand strong in the forest — they give customers products and services they can't get elsewhere (they're differentiated)
2. make use of every drop of rain — they charge fees that are within their audience's reach (they're price-aligned)

                             — by Chris Quinn


3. reach up and out for the sunshine — they have leaders who inspire and energize (they have a good branding message )
4. adapt to conditions — respond to shifts in customer needs (they stay true to the brand, but adapt marketing strategy)
5. build a strong root system — create a strong employee culture that will sustain over time (stand for something as a brand)
6. bloom — give back to their surrounding community (have a green or corporate social responsibility commitment)

We certainly agree, Hank. Thanks for framing it in such a visual way. The book "The Business Tree" is available from Barnes and Noble here.

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