Excellence in everything we do
A great boss once told me:
I’d rather be the world’s best janitor than the world’s worst CEO.
I think it resonates with the way he viewed the world and what his values were. He didn’t place value on possessions or compensation, but on being excellent at whatever he was doing. This held true even if he was doing a job that was completely transparent to the people around him. One of the things I’ve noticed in most workplaces is that the average person doesn’t share this sentiment. Most people would rather be average or even below average at their jobs as long as it means they get paid.
What a scary thought!
A workplace full of people that hate their jobs and make every effort to sabotage themselves and keep themselves from achieving the true excellence they are capable of. Why would anyone do that?
Let me leave you with this question…
Are you striving for excellence in everything you do? If not, why not?
It’s funny, because you can tell within just a few minutes of working with someone what kind of outlook they have in regards to this idea. I remember from when I was a little kid, my mom used to tell both me and my brother something very similar. “It didn’t matter if we grew up to be garbagemen, as long as we were the best garbagemen possible.” That’s something I’ve always carried with me in everything I do whether it was waiting tables or working in radio, and I think that is one of the reasons I’ve been relatively successful in everything I do. It’s too bad not enough people live their life the same way.
That’s exactly it. I think people with this type of outlook tend to not do jobs that others would consider menial simply because their drive for excellence allows them to advance.