Leadership Excellence - The Only Option
First, let me say that I'm in this for the long haul. The "This" is sounding the trumpet for executive and leadership excellence. I have no end game or finale contemplated. There is no stopping point until there is one.
How do you define excellence? It's really a matter of your personal experiences and what is required of you at any moment to show up as a leader.
Not a "hill to climb"; or, nothing at all.
Tom Peters wrote, "Excellence is not an "aspiration." Excellence is not a "hill to climb." Excellence is the next five minutes. Your next email. Your next meeting—real or virtual, your next fleeting exchange with a customer—or it is nothing at all." (Excellence Now: Extreme Humanism, Tom Peters).
How do you go from #5 to this?
My friend and I were recently watching his favorite college team while sitting comfortably at our respective homes—his in Florida, mine in Georgia, when he texted me this message:
NO offense and NO defense?? How do you go from a (#) 5 ranking LY to this debacle?
Great question. My simple response was:
No leadership.
I've seen it too many times in sports and business. Poor leadership or a lack of leadership in general is devastating.
In the case of my friend's team, the coaches are certainly leaders. The head coach sets the vision and direction. He and his assistants and position coaches then establish the game plan for the next contest. Then, the position coaches coach the players on how to execute the game plan.
The preparation continues. There is practice, and lots of it, all designed to bring home the "W." Then, it's game time.
This is where the rubber meets the road. Now it's up to the players. They have the responsibility of executing the game plan in excellence. The coaches can't play the game for them.
This is where the players' leadership has the greatest impact. One of the single most important aspects of a consistently winning team is leadership from the people who execute your strategies day in and day out.
Which begs the question(s)?
Do your people understand where your firm is headed? Do they know what the game plan is? Do they understand what is expected of them?
It's hard to let others know where the organization is going without a vision. Although it seems obvious, you'd be surprised how often this is unclear.
Defining Excellence
Do you expect excellence? It's up to you and your leadership team to define it.
Excellence is measured by your actions—yours and theirs—which define your culture. Culture is not a bunch of nice words on the wall somewhere that no one pays attention to. It is based on your company's values, which are applied consistently.
Letting some (values) slip is easy, but doing so only erodes your culture, creating a less-than-excellence mindset. You'll know you have a "less-than" culture when your results decline, your customers complain, or your best people leave. Who wants that?
A Winning Strategy
I recommend that you and your leadership reflect on your organization's purpose and the vision you have set out for the next three to five years. Then answer these questions:
Is it clear?
Has it been communicated throughout the organization?
What are your three to five bold initiatives to make the vision a reality?
What action plans are in place, and who is accountable for executing them?
How frequently do you and your leadership team review the initiatives and action plans?
How frequently do you and the team communicate progress with everyone else in the company?
Excellence is not a hill to climb or an aspiration. However, it is your next action, and it is necessary if you want to have a thriving and consistently successful organization.
In my world, excellence is the only option. How about in yours?
Until next time!
