I had the good fortune recently of taking a river cruise in Germany. We began on the Moselle River. We ended on the Rhine, to which the Moselle is a tributary. As you sail your way from Trier to Koblenz you are surrounded by wine vineyards on the hillsides of the river. Great riesling wines come from these vineyards—particularly well known are those from the Alsace region.
In his recent post Terroir, Seth Godin describes terroir as the set of special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place pass on to wine, cheese, chocolate or other foods. It is one of the characteristics that sets one food apart from another. One of the aspects of the food that informs us of what we are consuming and distinguishes it from all others. The vineyards on the banks of the Moselle have terroir.
What’s Your Company’s Terroir?
The same can be said about companies. In his blog, Seth gives the example of City Bakery in New York. We EOS Implementers agree that companies can have terroir. Gino Wickman says that the sum of the Core Values and Core Purpose of your company is the company’s soul. It is what sets you apart. It is what attracts employees to you and repels others from you. It is why customers choose you. Some might call it culture. Seth might say terroir. Gino calls it Soul. See this earlier post where Gino explains what he means by the Soul of a company.
Next Steps
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- Watch this video on the soul of your company’s culture.
- Download free EOS tools to shape your company’s soul.
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