Many leaders chase perfection while overlooking excellence. Excellence and perfection are not the same things. Be careful not to confuse the two.
Perfection is rarely achieved while excellence can be sought after daily. At its core, excellence can be defined as “doing the best you can with what you have”.
If you want to become the kind of leader people love to follow, consider these three key actions for leading with excellence each day:
1 – Reject perfectionism.
As stated above, perfection and excellence aren’t the same things. One characteristic of those who fall prey to perfectionism is “analysis paralysis”. They struggle to make decisions and take action because they’re afraid they don’t have the perfect answer or solution. If you want to achieve excellence, you must avoid the trap of perfectionism and take productive action.
2 – Demand quality.
While you don’t want to fall into the trap of “it has to be perfect before I start”, you do want to demand quality of yourself and your followers. The word “demand” may sound strong (and it is), but that doesn’t mean you have to be a jerk in holding a high standard. Quality often sells itself. No one wants to buy junk that doesn’t last. No one wants to receive poor service. Quality requires attention to detail and giving your best effort. When you operate this way consistently, you produce excellence.
3 – Pursue improvement.
Nothing is perfect. Everything can be improved upon. Author and speaker John C. Maxwell often shares the concept of getting 1 percent better every day. Think about it. It seems that “New and improved!” has been a strategic marketing tactic forever. Why? Because everything can be improved! The best you do today can be improved upon tomorrow. That doesn’t make today’s best bad or wrong. It just creates a new foundation to build upon for future success. Excellent leaders pursue improvement consistently.
I hope this reframes your mindset toward “excellence” for yourself and your team. Too many leaders fall into the trap of perfectionism and hold themselves back from greater levels of success. Don’t let that be you.
Imagine being the kind of leader others automatically think of when the word “excellence” is mentioned.
Imagine leading a team that is committed to becoming at least 1 percent better every day.
Imagine building a team or organization that is recognized as excellent in your industry.
This can become your reality when you implement these three key actions daily.
In my new book, The Magnetic Leader: 18 Essential Actions of Leaders People Love to Follow, I expand on this idea in much more detail in Essential Action #5 – Pursues Excellence. CLICK HERE to join the waiting list to get updates on when the book will be released and receive a FREE POSTER revealing all 18 Essential Actions!
Until next time…make today GREAT!
