Excellence is a personal metric and will have a different meaning for different individuals. However, a common attribute of excellence is that it is a repeatable habit, not a single act. It is a metric of distinction by which individuals and organizations can measure being at a pre-defined pinnacle in any field. A leader whose life is defined by excellence leaves a legacy for future leaders to emulate.
Leaders who can develop a mindset of excellence set themselves apart from the pack. Very few would argue the point that Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has a mindset of excellence. Andy Jassy, who took over for Bezos as CEO in 2021, testifies: “Watching Jeff, I have never seen anybody with higher standards.” Bezos’ mindset of excellence is one of his secret powers that has led to Amazon being a trillion-dollar behemoth corporation and Bezos being a legendary leader.
Three Truths Of Excellence
To develop a mindset of excellence, the first step is to go back to the fundamentals of excellence itself—what it is and what it is not. I believe the three truths of excellence are:
1. Excellence is not a skill set, but a permanent mindset.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, said, “I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.” The continuous, conscious choices he has made have helped him forge a mindset of excellence. He has always chased excellence as a CEO, inventor and passionate and ambitious leader. Not only has he founded the biggest, and arguably the most successful, EV company in the world, but in June 2024, another of his endeavors, SpaceX, became the only known company with all-civilian spaceflight. Musk’s dedication to pursuing excellence has made him the business legend he is today.
On a personal note, when I set out to write my first book, The 12 Pillars of Project Excellence, I became obsessed with pouring in my entire practical experience of globally leading multi-billion-dollar programs, adding unique concepts, case studies and assessments for individuals and teams. What started as a six-month, 250-page effort, ended up being a three-year, over-600-page undertaking, with every detail reviewed numerous times by myself and two editors.
Yes, I broke the cardinal role of scope creep, but I kept thinking: How could I sell my readers short when the title of my book included the word “excellence”? This mindset was recognized by my peers, and the book won multiple international awards and honors. This experience taught me an invaluable life lesson: The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the “extra.”
2. Excellence is not an endpoint, but a starting point.
Excellence needs to be an integral part of the initial design. A beautiful analogy to explain this is: If one wants to eat the sweetest, juiciest apples, one must start by procuring the best available seeds and the most nutrient-rich soil, and then provide an optimal environment for the plant to flourish in. Without the seed of excellence, the fruit will always be inferior.
The second habit in Stephen Covey’s bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People states “Begin with the end in mind.” In business, excellence cannot be achieved without starting with a clear vision of an end goal—an excellent product or service. Once the mindset of excellence is fortified with this vision, it will be considerably easier to reach the desired goal.
Leaning into the previous personal example, starting the journey of writing my book with the aim of excellence led not only to awards and recognition but also to prestigious personal accolades such as delivering opening keynotes on topics from my book for the government of Saudi Arabia and at the House of Lords of the U.K. Parliament.
3. Excellence is not perfection, but the pursuit of perfection.
Excellence and perfection are not synonyms. Rather, excellence is the pursuit of perfection and doing one’s best despite the errors made along the way. Being human means never being perfect, because to err is human.
Several times during the writing of my book, I gave up on the project, for several different reasons: doubting my abilities, fear of failure, disappointment with edits and just plain exhaustion, as I was leading an international business during the day while authoring all night. I was looking for perfection, having forgotten that humans are not made to be perfect. Rather, we are designed with “bugs,” which need to be conquered at each stage to reach the desired level of excellence.
Taking The First Step On The Journey To Excellence
The most daunting aspect of developing a mindset of excellence is “taking the leap” and beginning each task with the pursuit of excellence. I believe that as leaders, we should take the advice of the idiom and reach for the stars, since even if we fall short, we will land on the moon.
If executives begin to cultivate this thought process, they can learn how to encourage their employees to do the same. This will lead to a healthier, more dynamic workplace where every individual exerts their ultimate effort and reaches an unparalleled mindset of excellence.
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https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescoachescouncil/2024/08/13/the-importance-of-developing-a-mindset-of-excellence-for-leaders/
Dr. Adil Dalal – Forbes
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