Be Excellent

Leadership is about inspiring and challenging.  But this is difficult to do in a day and age where it seems that demanding excellence from ourselves and our organization is sometimes considered “politically incorrect”.  It is almost as if society expects us to accept whatever effort an individual gives as a natural expression of his/her ability and that adding pressure by asking for more is wrong.  Nonsense!  Leadership is about bringing out the best in people…and that means us, too! 

Steve Jobs once commented:

“Be a yardstick of quality.   Some people are not used to an environment where excellence is expected.”

The pursuit of excellence is not a natural one.  Excellence comes from a spirit of determination and a tenacity of attitude that requires all of us to make choices.  Many times, this means stepping out in faith and choosing to trust in the organizational leadership or system that is already in place.  It also means choosing to trust your teammates. 

But let’s face it - choosing excellence doesn’t automatically make everything run smoothly. Even when we choose to give others on our team the benefit of the doubt, developing a culture of excellence takes time. It takes intentionality. It takes patience. And it takes faith.

Even in the face of challenges, we must remember that faith ACTS while non-belief REACTS.  As leaders, it is our responsibility to have faith in those that are on our team and to choose to take intentional actions that allow the organization to progress ever forward towards greater levels of excellence. At all levels. All of the time doing WHAT needs to be done, WHEN it needs to be done, regardless of HOW we feel about it.

Georges Clemenceau said it best when he remarked:

“A man who has to be convinced to act before he acts is not a man of action.”

So…Are you a person of action? 

Do you believe in your fellow team members? 

Do you take action in the area of excellence or do you need a pep rally to react to standards that are set before you?

Regardless of your choice, the choice is YOURS!  You are the one choosing the attitude that you have right now…is it the one you want to have?  If not, I have good news, my friend…you can change it!

The great cinematic heroes Bill and Ted of the 1980’s hit “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” had it right when they said, “Be excellent to each other.”  We can literally choose to be the very definition of excellence we want to see on our teams through the actions we choose to make each and every day.

Sound advice! Let’s work to BE EXCELLENT in everything we do this week!