EXCELLENCE

By: Elaine Romberg
Date: 9/1/2005

Who doesn't like to receive compliments for an "excellent job well done?" We all do!

One of the "watchwords" of business is "excellence." We all strive for it and yet after a period of time of steadily declining workmanship, excellence takes a back seat. Quality control seems to become less and less important; not as much attention is paid to it, and in some instances, price becomes the deciding factor rather than quality (excellent quality!). In other words, quality suffers and excellence becomes less important because cost is the deciding factor in business decisions.

There are a number of quotes that we can apply to excellence:

"You get what you pay for!" In other words, service may be less but you will not receive top-level, excellent service because you aren't willing to pay for the best.

"Quality pays!" This has been one of my organization's mottos for as many years as I can remember...It is quality, not quantity, and not an attitude of "just enough to get by" or "anything will do - just do it."

"Bigger isn't always better." Excellence is always best! The highest level of professionalism, morals, work ethic, integrity, and commitment make the difference. It isn't how many numbers one can chalk up - for example, in membership. What really counts is WHO makes up the membership, and whether these individuals have the highest level when it comes to reputation, character, etc.

"Striving for excellence motivates you." How true it is! The more you strive for it; the more you receive those "good feelings." Only you can experience when you have done an excellent job, and after that, the more you will want it. Isn't it a wonderful feeling when a placed candidate of yours tells you that you have placed him/her in the best job he/she has ever had?

"Always do your best, for what you plant now, you will harvest later." How true this quote is...think about how you handle a client and the image you have left with the client. Maybe nothing will happen the first time you approach a client and begin building a relationship with the client. We all know the successful salesperson statistics indicate that it takes seven or eight attempts before a "first sale" is made on average. So, the seed you plant today may lay dormant for who knows how long, but if you have done an excellent job, chances are you will not be forgotten, and later, you may hear from that client company.

"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment in excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor." This is, of course, a Vince Lombardi quote and I'm guessing few people haven't heard or read of Vince Lombardi's standard of excellence. He didn't only preach excellence, he lived it and his players lived it. His players lived it after football, and many of them have written about how Lombardi's commitment to excellence has led them to become very successful business owners.

Excellence, of course, applies to our business life, but it also applies to our personal lives.

We all want it said of us that our reputation is excellent whether it be of us individually or of the companies for which we work or for the companies we own. We want those with whom we work to know our morals are above reproach - they are excellent!

Excellence does not allow for compromise. Excellence demands self-discipline - discipline in every aspect of life, which not only includes our business decisions but our day-to-day personal decisions. It is also true that excellence is fueled by wisdom - wisdom of our jobs, our families, our finances and again, in all aspects of our lives which affect the decisions we make.

Personal integrity affects excellence - your attitude affects excellence - your commitment to whatever it is you are doing, or going to do, affects excellence. Every decision you make depends on whether or not you, as an individual, commit to doing an excellent job, a mediocre job or a "soso" job just to get by. There is an old saying that the difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary is that little "extra." There is a difference between doing an OK job and an excellent job...the excellent job is the job for which you go the extra mile.

Excellence is a habit - it contains selfdiscipline and continual discipline of one's self. The fact is, we do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but rather, we have virtue or excellence because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is without question, a habit.

So what will it be...Excellence or mediocrity?

Excellence is available to everyone who is willing to make the commitment. Do you have the desire to motivate yourself? Do you have the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit to attain excellence? If you do, and you make it a habit, you will become excellent at whatever you do!

Elaine Romberg is the President of Inter-City Personnel Associates (IPA). She can be contacted at 920.720.5323, or by email at ipa@athenet.net.