Patrick Lencioni, founder of the management consulting firm The Table Group, opens his recent book "Advantage" with these thought-provoking words:

“The single greatest advantage any company can achieve is organizational health. Yet it is ignored by most leaders even though it is simple, free, and available to anyone who wants it.”

Lencioni introduces this concept of competitive advantage by contrasting two basic qualities. To maximize success an organization must be both smart and healthy. Smart organizations excel at the traditional business fundamentals of strategy, marketing, finance and technology. Yet, these critical components of success are only half of the equation. The other half, the cultural health of the organization, tends to get overlooked or crowded out by other demands.