Are you inspiring excellence?

Of all the millions of decisions we make in our lifetimes,Aim high
one of the most important ones has to be the decisionDon’t be afraid to set high the bar high when it
to commit to excellence.comes to morals and values.  Believe it or not, people
When you commit yourself to striving for excellence,want to follow great leaders.  Not only will excellence
you set yourself on a path to living in a higher state ofgive people something to strive for, but it will also send
achievement on both a personal and professional level.a message that you expect everyone’s best.
Why?  An attitude of excellence will help us makeHave genuine respect for the people you seek to
better decisions, behave more ethically, and spend ourinfluence
time more effectively.  Excellence helps you createMost people respond better to people they feel
your own success.  It helps you set yourself – andrespect them.    In return, they will have genuine
your company – apart from the overwhelmingrespect for you as well, and in doing so, will be much
majority of mediocrity.more inclined to give 110 percent effort.  
As an excellence advocate, one of your responsibilitiesGive recognition
is to inspire excellence in other people – especiallyOne of the best ways to inspire excellence is to
those who work with you and for you. Excellence inreward and recognize it.  Recognition is a great
the workplace leads to higher profits, higher jobmotivator, so when you “catch” someone doing
satisfaction ratings, and higher employee morale.a great job or going above and beyond the norm,
Are you ready to become an excellence mentor? draw attention to it.  He/she will not only be inspired to
Well, here are a few tips that will help you on yourrepeat the behavior that got them recognized, but
way.others will be inspired to do so as well.
Walk the talkEncourage big dreaming
Before you can expect others to be excellent, youNever, ever, limit your dreams, or the dreams of
have to be excellent yourself.  Leading by example inothers.  When you encourage other peoples’
an honorable and ethical manner is one of the bestdreams, you are saying “I believe in you.”  In
ways to productivity up and employee dishonestyessence, you are letting them know that you think they
down.  As a general rule, employees will feel moreare fully capable of achieving whatever they set out
disposed to giving you their best if they see you doingto do.  Imagine how empowering that is to someone
the same.   who looks up to you!
Communicate expectationsEmpower out-of-the-box thinking
Never assume everyone knows how to be excellentAlong the same lines, when you encourage creativity
on their own.  After all, everyone has their ownand initiative in people, something magical begins to
interpretation of excellence.  But since you are theirhappen…they become happier and more productive. 
leader and will be judging their performance based onEveryone is capable of creative thinking on some level,
your values, you need to make sure their performanceand when you encourage people to tap into that part
reflects your idea of excellence.of themselves, it releases achievement.
So first you have to decide what “excellence”Inspiring excellence in other people is a noble calling and
means to you.  What are your values in relation toone that can enrich your life, and those who choose to
your industry?  Next, you need to plan tofollow you.  Because after all, the world could
communicate the expectations to your staff. certainly use more excellence!
Consider making it a regular occurrence, like in aCopyright 2009,   All rights reserved.
regular company newsletters or company meetings.