Random rambling

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I was recently asked to talk about Excellence!

The first thing I did was look up the definition of Excellence in the dictionary.

Here is the definition I found that spoke to me the most. 

Excellence is: A talent or quality which is unusually good and so surpasses ordinary standards!

Does this mean Excellence is only the top of the line product, service or work? I’d say yes and no! I’ll explain my thoughts more in a minute… 

What’s the first word that comes to your mind when you think of Excellence  –  Perfection, Quality, Outstanding, Great, Magnificent, Superb, First Rate, Exceptional 

Everyone has a thought or idea that comes to mind when they think about Excellence – but how do you actually achieve it? And then on top of that, how do you instill those same qualities in your employees or team members or even your family. 

The thing about Excellence is you really have to try and continue to strive for improvements. The bar for Excellence continues to move and the better you do, the better you have to do. So, Excellence is really a mindset or attitude. It’s a habit of always trying, then trying harder. Giving it your all and capitalizing on your strengths, building/improving your weakness, or utilizing others with diverse skills to fill in the gaps. But it’s always about trying and never giving up and learning, and improving, and then doing it all over again…. 

A lot of this is an internal mindset, but it’s also contagious… 

What's the best part of working? Not working! 

Instead of work it should be about pursuing your passion(s). If you come to work and don't feel happy or inspired it's time to reflect on what drew you to the position in the first place. 

Was it working with employees or customers, keeping the lights on, project management, solving problems, or something else entirely? 

If you can't find something about your position that makes you smile and look forward to the day then maybe it's time to pursue different opportunities. 

Everyone wants to feel useful and accomplish things that make them special!

 Do leaders ever stop and think about how their actions are impacting their employees?  Flexible schedules where possible, not changes policies in a negative way because one guy cant get it right or needs to be disciplined, stringent rules that make people feel like kindergartens instead of adults. 

Leader how does it make you  feel when your boss micromanages you? How about not passing down things you hate because you can. Happy employees are more productive, have more innovative ideas, like their jobs and stick around longer. 

Why not stop outdated performance review processes. 

It's a demotivator for employees....no one wants to be told they are adequate or performing adequately.  

Maybe just say your meeting all my expectations unless we talk about the highs or lows. Then follow thru and recognize the performance above standard or just say thanks for great products that meet the deadline and accomplish the goal. Try addressing subpar performance as it occurs and develop a plan to help people succeed. Watch, listen, and understand what the person needs. Sometimes its a different job altogether, but often they just need a different perspective or different type of training. If you take the time you were trying to write comments and write them down and talk to people as they occur it's fresh in everyone's mind and means change can happen. 

Plus don't you feel appreciated when someone points out a particular thing you did really well? Guess what? Most people do!