Throughout the world, majestic structures stand as legacies to history's greatest empires and civilizations. The castles of medieval Europe, the aqueducts of the Roman Empire, the temples of Ancient Greece, the Great Wall of China, the pyramids of Ancient Egypt—these structures still inspire awe and wonder centuries after they were constructed. Though they are found all over the world and include cathedrals, bridges, opera houses, pyramids and towers, they all have one element in common. All of the world's greatest structures rest on a solid foundation. And the integrity of every foundation depends on its cornerstones.

Promotional Consultant Today shares these four cornerstones for a strong and viable business.

The Me Cornerstone

When you are building the Me cornerstone, you are building knowledge and wisdom. You focus on your thoughts, feelings and attitudes. Building the Me cornerstone of a business means that you don't just conduct business day-to-day and react to whatever comes up, but that you listen, learn and carefully choose your direction. You should spend time in deep thought to develop intellectually, spiritually and philosophically. It's important to take time to turn off all the noise, knowing that great insights already reside inside of you if only you will take the time to listen.

For a business, this could mean taking some quiet time at the start of every day to reflect on the mission of the company and to plan for the day. Common signs of a weak Me cornerstone in a business include an arrogant, know-it-all attitude, a confused company mission, and a widespread sense of spiritual poverty. The signs that a business has a strong Me cornerstone are that everybody at the company is continually learning, people know why they are doing the work they are doing, and they see their work as service to a greater cause.

The We Cornerstone

When you are building relationships, you are within the We cornerstone. Here you connect with the right people and build your circle of success. Within this cornerstone we develop culturally, sociologically, and influentially. You build social capital and avoid toxic people. You recognize that the most important force on the earth is kindness. In a business, this means showing appreciation to staff, vendors, and customers who make the business run.

The Do Cornerstone

You are building the Do cornerstone when you build productivity. The Do cornerstone includes the physical, financial and environmental aspects of a business. In the context of a business, the Do cornerstone means adding value to the company, customers, and clients and producing quality products and services. It also means staying healthy, keeping to the budget, and maintaining a pleasant office space.

The Be Cornerstone

The Be cornerstone is where you build the future of your business. This is where you develop and set goals, manage your time and document your achievements. Ultimately, with this cornerstone, you contribute to building something bigger than yourself and your day-to-day work. This is where you break out of your comfort zone, set goals and create something timeless. A weak Be cornerstone shows up as aimless wandering, poor execution and shortsighted, selfish decisions. Signs of a strong Be cornerstone include clearly stated goals, executing goals and a strong sense of history.

Source: Dr. Randall Bell is a socio-economist, speaker and author of Rich Habits Rich Life. He has consulted on such cases as the World Trade Center, Flight 93 Crash Site and OJ Simpson. His work has generated billions of dollars to build lives and communities by documenting the poor habits that lead to disaster—and the rich habits that lead to transformation and growth.