In markets such as Asset Based Lending, we have observed that commitment to organisational and process-driven capabilities to see vital strategic projects through is the most difficult for a competitor to duplicate. These lenders are dedicated to delighting clients, they engage employees, they establish reputations amongst their shareholders and they have excellent client lifetime value.

These capabilities essentially become the lender’s identity. They define what it is good at doing and, ultimately, what the company and the brand embodies. Here are eight of the most basic capabilities an organisation needs to emphasise:

•    Talent: attracting, motivating, and retaining competent and committed people to take forward a project and implement it.

•    Speed: making important changes happen fast.

•    Shared mindset: ensuring that customers and employees have positive images of and experiences with the organisation.

• Accountability: the disciplines that result in high performance and ensuring ROI plans are met fully.

•    Collaboration: working across boundaries to ensure both efficiency and leverage.

•    Learning: absorbing and spreading business intelligence with impact.

•    Leadership: embedding decision-makers throughout the organisation who deliver the right results in the right way.

•    Inventiveness: leveraging new technologies to facilitate process optimisation and save time and money.