On October 21, 1805, Lord Admiral Nelson's English fleet defeated the combined fleets of France and Spain at The Battle of Trafalgar.  For decades afterward, the English fleet dominated the seas.  What was Nelson's competitive advantage?

His ships were not faster, nor were his guns more powerful.  His success had little to do with clever maneuvering or better sailing tactics.  In fact, his approach was simply to put his ships right next to the enemy ships and slug it out by trading broadsides.

The single most important factor -- his competitive advantage -- was that his gun crews were so well trained they could get off 2 to 3 times more broadsides than the enemy ships.  That was an advantage that grew in strength and impact the longer the battle continued.

No matter what your strategy is, how well your organization performs -- how well it implements the strategy -- is key to your success.

This is the first posting to this blog.  Future posts will look at the practical elements of organization alignment, employee motivation, and strategy execution.

Bob

Bob Legge is a consultant and speaker.  He helps companies improve profits and increase individual and organization performance.  His clients have included Wrigley Chewing Gum, Wilson Sporting Goods, United Airlines, Mutual of Omaha, Paychex, Rochester Gas and Electric, Valeo, Adelphia Communications, Rich Products, American Hospitals Association, among others.  Bob can be reached at bob.legge@leggecompany.com.  Bob's company website is www.leggecompany.com.