Empowering people turns Wal-Mart's culture into a competitive advantage.

At Wal-Mart, if you couldn't explain an idea or a concept in simple terms on one page of paper Sam Walton considered the new idea too complicated to implement.

Sam Walton instilled ownership of the products in the stores into the collective consciousness of every associate regardless of what job they did for the company.

Servant leadership is the foundation and the secret of Sam Walton's ability to achieve team synergy.

The key to Operations at Wal-Mart is their ability to maintain the highest standards while at the same time getting things done with lockstep execution.

Sam Walton's values are: treat the customer right, take care of your people, be honest in your dealings, pass savings along to the customer, keep things simple, think small, control costs and continuously improve operations.

When you compete with Wal-Mart, even if you think you've found a niche don't ever become complacent.