Excellence starts with a mindset. A mindset which will not compromise and that is set on progressively increasing quality results and peak performance at the very best of your potential. When you engage in this kind of thinking and execution, it causes results and success acceleration. Excellence will require a price to be paid by you, sometimes financial as far as investing in yourself, and sometimes, just the price of being one of the few who will go after the most excellent result.
This starts in the privacy of your thinking and commitment to yourself before it is publicly seen by anyone else. Once demonstrated to others, however, it breeds trust and provides a model that inspires others to action! Excellence and accountability requires the elimination of all excuses and in all their forms. In most cases, excuses are just another way of being dishonest. Either with yourself or with others. Vince Lombardi used to tell his team they would come back after the game with one of two things: reasons or results.
Excellence in your thinking and commitment energizes you to always perform at the highest level you can. Leadership is being above average!
Some experiences you can expect as a leader with a renewed focus on excellence:
Your leadership excellence will cause others to be more committed
Leadership causes others to be more and do more, in short, it is influence you exert over others. It is possible for leadership to lead people in a negative direction, consider the terrible regime of Hitler and Nazi Germany. The commitment to excellence that was required to lift the nation out of poverty caused all its citizens to be zealously committed, even to such an evil prospect. Respect the power of commitment, it usually fosters a high level of respect.
Your leadership excellence will require diligent practice
The road to mastery goes through diligence and practice. Excellence requires executing the process to produce the end result again and again. Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent.
Your leadership excellence will be resisted by mediocre people
There will always be “good enough” people in the sphere of influence. They will question why you want it better or done right. They will accuse you of being a perfectionist and cry they will never be able to please you. Always find balance and ask yourself, are you a perfectionist? If so, deal with your behavior. On the other hand, if you are simply demanding better results, you are on your leadership journey and you may have some negative people on your team who just want to get it over with or finished no matter the end result.
Your leadership excellence will be rewarded by progress
This might be through better end results. It might be through more customers. It might be through promotion for you through the ranks. Whatever the outcome, if you are committed to excellence, you will be paid handsomely for your consistent effort.
Your leadership excellence will cause projects and products to be delivered on time
Contrary to popular belief, it is not fashionable to be late! When you are on time or deliver on time, it is a result of your excellent character. The opposite is also true. Unfortunately, we have gotten to the point where being late is not considered reflective of a person’s character. But it is. When you are a leader, all your actions are a model for those whom you lead. Being timely is a factor which also contributes or subtracts from trust of others.
Your leadership development requires a maintenance of your thinking and actions regarding excellence. You get this development through disciplined, purposeful effort.
You can do it.