EXCELLENCE IS NOT ENOUGH! So declared the Father of In Search of Excellence to the staff (Talent!) of a superb professional services firm recently. At an “off site,” leaders had been working on clarifying values. After some serious deliberations, they’d landed on Integrity-Quality-Excellence, and presented me their findings.
And I said (suggested!) … No.
Of course I support Integrity-Quality-Excellence! And, moreover, the three often go A.W.O.L. And .. I think they ought to be on this Firm’s list, perhaps at the top.
But …
But all three Goals-Values-Aspirations are … Static!
This outfit climbed to the top of an insanely competitive heap by Daring to Be Different. And my simple (and constant) observation is that leaders … Get Conservative. Fast. Hence I argued that Goal #1 for my newfound friends was to … Stay Obstreperous!
We ended up with the following, two sets of words, both important. The First Set are static, even imitative:
Static/Imitative
Integrity.
Quality.
Excellence.
Continuous Improvement.
Superior Service. (Exceeds Expectations.)
Completely Satisfactory Transaction.
Smooth Evolution.
Market Share.
The Second Set are dynamic, underscoring differences:
Dynamic/Different
Dramatic Difference!
Disruptive!
Insanely Great!
Life-(Industry-)changing Experience!
Game-changing!
WOW!
Surprise!
Delight!
Ridiculously Fun!
Market Creation!
My point: I think a hearty dose of both is the RX for surviving, attracting and keeping Stellar Talent, and continuing to Rock the World.
So, assuming you/your unit or firm has a “value statement,” or some such, does it underscore “break-the-mold” as well as “build-an-excellent-mold”?
Excellence is not enough!