As an entrepreneur, a big challenge for me is helping others move from mediocrity to excellence. As we move from mediocrity, there are three things that can never be challenged: education, experience, and excellence—what I’d like to call a triple threat or 3 Es. Education (our preparation), excellence (our presentation), and experience (our participation) align to optimize our greatness. Success is measured by one or all three of the above—what you have done, what you have learned, or what you have perfected.To operate at the maximum level of excellence, we must think big-picture, not small-frame. We must move past ourselves to achieve excellence and not embrace the mentality of this is the way it’s always been done. Early in my career, I couldn’t tell you what to listen for to determine a person’s level of excellence or lack thereof. Now, I listen for disclaimers about why they can’t do something. I look for former corporate superstars who now operate at C level—just average. Excellence isn’t average. “By definition, it is always A-level.”
When sustaining your A game, performance is a critical component. That means performing above and beyond what is needed or expected. It’s giving the extra 50% necessary to operate above the rest. I hope others will see my performance and become better themselves because of my example. Raising my own bar breeds consistency and responsibility in those around me.
Operating at an A level in a C-level environment can be undermined by three key things: time, knowledge, and staff. Lack of time management robs us of proper planning and often causes us to be hurried and not put our best foot forward. For obvious reasons, a lack of knowledge directly robs us of our A game. We should be in a constant state of learning. And sometimes uncommitted staff members can undermine your Level A.
To maximize staff contributions to the entire mix, it’s essential to have people operating in their sweet spot, where their passion meets their purpose. The biggest indicator of someone not operating in their sweet spot is confusion and disorder, but a great leader won’t cast them out. A great leader will build them up and find the right place for them. Operating at A level means engaging the right staff—an employee, volunteer, friend, even co-worker, and figuring out what excites them—not who can simply do the job. Even Jesus paid attention and took the time and care necessary to develop each disciple. For volunteers it could be by trial and error; for a friend it could be selecting activities that take them out of their comfort zone; for an employee or co-worker it could be helping them identify corporate projects that excite them.
In ministry, I pride myself on producing quality programs that represent Christ. In business, I give my clients the best service available. “Average” is a waste of time for me. I’m only concerned with excellence. Excellence attracts excellence. This means carefully examining my friends and peers. If most of the people I know are average, then I probably am too; if they are moving toward greatness, then so am I. If they are in the same place today that they were in last year so, am I? I should ensure friends are pursuing the same level of excellence and greatness as I am—are they?
