Beginning tomorrow, we will begin Month Three of our Intentional Leadership journey, focused on excellence. According to Merriam-Webster, excellence is the state of being excellent — superior, first class.
In practice, it is the difference between average and exceptional. It is the ability to not only meet, but to exceed, the needs of your customers (both internal and external), consistently delivering superior quality in whatever services or products you provide. This is how you — as an individual or an organization — stand out from the competition. But it doesn’t stop there. Truly excellent performers understand they must embrace a continuous improvement mindset, knowing that excellence is not a destination!
Think for a minute about organizations you would classify as excellent; there is likely one in at least each category of business and industry. In the hotel industry, it’s long been the Ritz Carlton. They strive to give every customer a “Wow” experience every time; pampering customers more than they could have possibly imagined. If you think about it, this philosophy requires everyone in the organization to be in top form at all times, thinking about what more they can do to out-do what they are already doing. It’s an on-going quest, requiring creativity, consideration, intentionality, and close attention to the wants, needs, and desires of its customers, as well as staying in-tune with the changing of the times in terms of tastes and preferences of luxury travelers.
As we prepare for this next leg of our journey, take a little time to consider these questions:
What level of excellence do you/your organization provides today?
How can you improve the level of customer service you/your organization provides today?
In what areas of your business do you need to be continuously improving to succeed?
How do your team members define and demonstrate excellence in your organization? Does their definition of excellence match yours?
This will be another revealing month of exercises, if you are willing to truly dive deep and examine your thinking and behaviors.
“See” you tomorrow.
