Top businesses and organizations have certain characteristics that make them strong and able to change and grow. Do you know what they are? Topping the list is a healthy culture.

How healthy is your organisation’s culture? Take this free organisational culture survey, presented by the Australian Future Search Network. You’ll get a score that provides a snapshot of where your organisation is headed, either away from greatness or toward it.

Also, the Australian Future Search Network has great ideas on community development and organisational change including a free paper on 9 principles to effect change. The ideas on organisational change have equal application for small and large organisations and businesses.

Recession, economic slowing, retarded growth — whatever! Doesn’t matter what you call it. When you see businesses closing their doors and people losing their houses, which is happening where I live, Houston, we’ve got a problem.

But I’ve noticed that some of the businesses that closed were not just victims of a poor economy. Quite frankly, they were already on the brink. One of the biggest reasons is that they did not provide value to their clients. Or, tragically, they were able to provide value, but for whatever reason they did not communicate their value propositions to potential clients.

In a down economy, people will be looking harder for cost-effective solutions to their problems and challenges. Businesses that can clearly demonstrate and communicate how they can provide these solutions will be in much better shape for riding out the economic storm.

Success in business is always about providing value — not matter what is going on in the economy. Always provide value, and always communicate how you do that!

To learn more, see Tom Sant’s blog post, Secrets to selling in a slow economy.