The word excellence is the most cliché word used in small businesses, likely sharing the ranks with "quality" and "finest." But if most people were asked to give a definition of what excellence is, they can't. So, in the void of understanding, a common counterfeit definition is "doing the best you can." On the surface, this is true, but to make excellence matter, you must go deeper.
If I make the standard for excellence by "doing the best I can," I will never achieve anything better than my own standard. Therefore, a company must look to its competitors and customers to define excellence. In other words, something outside of you must help define what excellence is. Proof of this is everywhere… Apple vs. Microsoft, Jordan vs. Barkley, Ali vs. Frasier, Ford vs. Ferrari, and so on.
The overarching question is, do we desire to achieve excellence? Exceeding our customers' expectations has fueled my desire for excellence. Are my customers satisfied, excited, and ambassadors of our brand? The other is to consider our competitors and their achievements. Are we beating our competition? These questions are not arrogant; they require humility, and the answers will stir desire. Excellence = Desire + Achievement.
Why does excellence matter? Because our customers don't care if we did our best. They only care that we meet their expectations. In a production environment like CPV, creating a culture that maintains a desire to achieve excellence can be a massive challenge because most of our team never face the customer or meet the competition. This is no one's fault; it's just the way it is, but that doesn't mean you can't have a desire…
I am grateful that we have a team at CPV that desires excellence and works hard to achieve it. How do I know? Because we talk about it, and it has become part of our culture. You can never take a day off of pushing for excellence in this business!
I encourage each of you to take stock of what drives you to be on a trajectory of getting better at what you do every day. What makes you feel the desire to achieve excellence?
OUR CORE VALUES
- Excellence – Desire and achieve it.
- Integrity – Know and do what is right.
- Respect – Treat others the way you want to be treated.
- Responsibility – Embrace opportunities to contribute.
- Quality – The product of the first four values.
Authored By: Steve Wright
