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.
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.
