MANAGEMENT SPECIAL................. HARRY PAUL

HARRY PAUL

EXCELLENCE VS AVERAGE 

CO-AUTHOR OF F I S H ! AND W H O K I D N A P P E D E X C E L L E N C E ? 

THE BIG IDEA: DON'T ACCEPT AVERAGE AS EXCELLENCE

There are a crimes being committed everyday in our personal and professional lives. It’s our Excellence getting kidnapped and being replaced by Average. And Average, who is a makeup artist, spreads mediocrity and ordinary without anyone noticing that their Excellence is being replaced by Average. Interestingly, it takes companies and organizations, sometimes several months, or maybe not at all, before they notice that their Excellence is missing. When an organization does finally realize they may be settling for Average, the typical first reaction is obvious--denial; in fact, many organizations just start accepting Average as Excellence. So here is your wake up call to mediocrity.......to Average, that the end is near. When organizations first admit that their Excellence has been kidnapped, they are taking the first step to getting it back. People and organizations can start focusing on what is important to ensure that Excellence is as much a part of their brand as their products . Passion, competency, flexibility, communication and ownership, are the five practices needed to reacquire, maintain and sustain Excellence in any organization. Put these into practice and you can start to get your Excellence back and get rid of Average for good. The monetary toll of not doing and being your best is huge. Without Excellence there is no employee engagement: no unique customer experiences: no creativity, no new ideas or thoughts—you’re stuck in the status quo of how you always did things. The cost to businesses worldwide is in the hundreds of billions of dollars. And Excellence is not something that starts at work and is left behind at days end. Excellence in your personal life is just as important. Not attaining Excellence in your own life could have a huge impact on you personally and your family; possibly having a profound negative influence on your loved ones, and it’s something you don’t leave at home — you bring it to work with you, affecting everything you do — it becomes a vicious cycle that Average just loves and thrives in. How does Excellence get kidnapped and replaced with average? Simple, you stop paying attention to what matters most. The five practices mentioned earlier must be present to allow Excellence to flourish and banish Average are:
    Passion is what inspires everyone with energy, enthusiasm, and caring. Make the choice each day not to be burdened by the sludge of negativity, instead, rise above it with a zest for life and desire for personal excellence.
    Competency ensures everyone has all the skills needed to do their best. It’s not just important in the technical aspects of our work and lives but is also important in our relationships with one another.
    Communication clearly outlines roles and expectations. Perception is everything and perception is created by effective communication.
    Flexibility helps us respond to unique situations whenever and wherever they occur. The only thing that remains constant in this crazy world in which we live is that everything changes.
    Ownership makes certain everyone gives their best and takes 100% responsibility for their jobs. Ownership is a personal value that promotes the knowledge that we have power and influence when we accept our responsibilities.

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