The Quest for Excellence

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi

Excellence is a quality we can and should all strive for in all of our efforts. If we are doing and being the best we can possible do and be then we will never have a reason to regret our actions or feel bad about our performance. When I was growing up one of my father’s favorite encouragements to me was “you can always do better!” I am sure that my father saw the statement as an encouragement however, to me it was a reminder that my best at the time was not good enough and that I could never live up to his expectations. To me it was a discouragement as it drove me to work harder but I was never satisfied with my effort or my accomplishments. It took me a lot of work and a lot of maturing to eliminate those statements from my mind and realize that if I was doing my best and that was good enough based on my abilities at the time. As Lombardi would remind me I will never be perfect however if I made that my quest, I might find excellence.

You can go to any number of articles on excellence and find numerous qualities that experts will cite as necessary in the quest for excellence. Some of the most common are as follows:

• Commitment is critical if you are to achieve excellence. Nothing in life comes easily and you must put in the effort if you want to achieve results. In order to achieve excellence you first need to be committed to excellence. Anything less than a pursuit of excellence will produce second-best results.  Those who pursue excellence are also committed to learning as they are always learning new information and ways to improve their performance. Excellence pursuers are committed to doing the work no matter what is required to achieve the goal. Excellence achievers welcome challenges as they realize that anything worthwhile will require risk and accepting the challenges that come with it. Excellence achievers are also committed to honesty and integrity in their communication and collaboration as they realize that relationships are critical to success.
• Vision and purpose are musts if you are to achieve excellence. The most successful companies and organizations have vision statements which they use to drive their performance and keep all of their employees focused on achieving excellence in their operations. The highest caliber athletes talk of using visualization to drive their performance in their sport for they believe that if they can see the performance in their mind they can execute it on the field of play. How we envision excellence and the extent that we make it our purpose will determine how and at what level we can achieve it.
• High achievers are almost always passionate and driven in their pursuit of excellence. Passion and drive are the fuel which powers us through challenges when times get difficult. Our level of passion and drive is often visible in the level of excitement and dedication we devote to our efforts. Passionate and driven people rarely quit and quitting or continuing on can often be the difference between achieving excellence and just being mediocre.
• Excellence achievers are fearless. They realize that fear is one of the great immobilizers that will halt performance quicker than anything else. Excellence achievers realize that they need not fear failure as that is one of the best ways to learn and that by eliminating failure you clear the path towards excellence. Excellence achievers are great risk takers. excellence achievers also realize that there is risk in anything worth pursing and that the greater the risk, the greater the reward.
• Creativity and innovation are hallmarks of excellence achievers. Some of the best ideas are new ideas that come out of the innovative and creative minds of individuals who are striving for excellence in their efforts.
• Optimism and self-confidence go a long way towards achieving excellence. A positive attitude and confidence in yourself and your efforts will often keep you moving forward when things are challenging or difficult and you need motivation to keep pursuing your goals.
• Resilience, flexibility, acceptance of change are key characteristics of excellence achievers. It has been said that the only constant in life is that it will change. If you are going to effectively pursue excellence you must be willing and able to change with the times. This requires resilience and flexibility. I have been a fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team since my college days in Alabama. Coach Nick Sabin has had the Tide in contention for the national title every year since he arrived in Tuscaloosa. Sports commentators cite Coach Saban’s willingness and ability to change his approach with the times and trends in college football with his keeping his teams among the elite and excellent.
• Excellence achievers are self-aware when it comes to their abilities, performance and the environment they operate within. High achievers know what they are capable of and constantly strive for optimum performance. Self-awareness also provides individuals with a sense of confidence which helps enable them to move forward through difficult and challenging situations.
• Excellence achievers have very high standards. The pursuit of excellence does not allow for acceptance of anything but the highest standards of performance and achievement. The higher the standard the greater the effort is required to achieve that goal. Excellence achievers see this as a challenge and elevate their performance to meet those challenges.
• Consistency is important in the pursuit of excellence. I recently read an article in The New York Times (1) about Eliud Kipchoge the most prolific marathon runner to date who just set a world record of 2:01:39 at the Berlin Marathon. Mr. Kipchoge is the icon for excellence when if comes to marathoning. Kipchoge said that he follows a personal formula “MOTIVATION + DISCIPLINE = CONSISTENCY” which I think is perfect for thinking about the quest for excellence. If one has the motivation to pursue excellence, and the discipline to thoroughly work at the process than an individual or organization can consistency realize all of the performance, results and goals that they desire. I personally love this formula because throughout the years I have unknowingly consistently utilized this philosophy through all of the challenges and opportunities I have encountered.

In your pursuit of excellence how do you measure up to these criteria? How many of these qualities do you possess? Are you committed to excellence? Do you have a vision and purpose in your efforts?  How much passion and drives your efforts?  Are you fearless in all you attempt? Are your efforts infused with creativity and innovation? Are you optimistic and filled with confidence about your abilities?  Are you accepting of any change that you encounter and flexible and resilient in your efforts? Are you self-aware of who you are and present yourself authentically and with integrity? Do you set high standards for yourself and your work? Are you consistent in your efforts? Do these attributes accurately reflect you and your efforts? Are you willing to develop or enhance your skills to rise to the level needed to achieve excellence? If so, then you are well on your way to becoming an excellence achiever and realizing all of your professional and personal goals. Here’s hoping in your chase for perfection you catch all of the excellence you desire and deserve.