Every Tuesday, we’re sharing valuable and practical leadership tips and tools to help you BE a better leader so you can BECOME a better leader. Remember … you won’t BECOME a better leader until you start BEING a better leader … implementing NOW the changes necessary to adopt the proven strategies of successful leaders. You might start by building on the communication matrix and making sure you’re defending the castle to get done what only you can do. Make sure to take some time so you’re thinking past today.
Our new series on the building blocks of L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. continues today. You should read the introductory article, The Cornerstones of Effective Leadership, and start with L=Loyalty from last week.
“Why do we even bother?” he asked. I was standing in the president’s office when the chairman and CEO walked in with a sheaf of papers in his hand.
“What are you talking about, Leonard?” the president asked calmly.
“I’m talking about this stack of credit memos. Why do we have a policy of charging these back when you just stuff them in a drawer and do nothing about them?”
As the chairman’s voice got louder, I knew I didn’t want to be in that room, but I couldn’t slip past him before he slammed the pile of credit memos on the president’s desk. The desk collapsed as it was torn from its wall emplacement. It hit the ground at a 45-degree angle and everything on the desktop slid to the floor. As the voices got even louder, I was lucky to make a hasty exit, stage left.
Thereafter, we heard about the incident repeatedly as an illustration of what not to do in the pursuit of excellence. The chairman used that parable frequently to remind us that excellence is not a personal preference nor is it indulgent of lapses, sentiment or carelessness.
More than anything, excellence is a mindset, a perspective that demands high performance, constant attention and a willingness to relentlessly pursue that elusive goal. It may conceal an unattainable demand for perfection but it doesn’t settle for mediocrity.
To achieve excellence, leaders must demand excellence from their colleagues and teammates. As a business leader, you must embrace it in everything you do and make it the touchstone of your leadership style.
Jay Conger from the Center for Effective Organizations, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, speaks about the “Spotlight of Leadership” as a reminder that leaders are always being scrutinized, their every action carefully observed, their attitude and demeanor always on display. If excellence isn’t pursued when no one’s looking, no one will be looking for excellence.
Excellence is also measured by how you speak to others. Do people hear you actively promote excellence … or do they detect willingness to compromise when those standards are challenged? By way of example, does “on time delivery” to your customers actually mean that or is it just a sentiment that expresses what you’d like to have happen? Has any energy been expended to put policies, processes and procedures in place to accomplish it, or is it just a comforting slogan? Sometimes less than spectacular results will have to suffice, but does your team believe excellence is the exception or the rule?
What do you expect from others? One of the most destructive forces of excellence is unveiled by the quality of your workforce. If there are sub-par performers tucked into every corner, a culture of excellence will be unattainable and your goals will become mere platitudes. Your most talented performers won’t embrace excellence … and probably won’t stick around too long … because there is so much evidence that excellence is optional.
Hold your people to a high standard and weed out those who are falling short less they become the spoiled apples that poison the entire barrel.
We all write a lot of email and text messages these days. What does your writing sound like? Does it point the finger at others for their mediocre performance? Does it extol the virtues of achievement and performance or is it defensive and blameless? Do people perceive your guidance as positive coaching or one more “gotcha” that thrives on uncovering wrongdoing instead of promoting success?
To be a successful business leader, you need to “walk the walk” and “talk the talk” … both literally and figuratively … constantly renewing your workforce with the highest performers you can find and promoting excellence at every turn. People around you can easily tell if you’re expecting excellence from yourself … by how you talk, what you write, what you believe, how you carry yourself. If you are uncompromising about your standards, it will be self-evident.
So, keep excellence on your lips for the next week … think of it every time you work on something … make it part of everyday speech and let us know the results by commenting at Exkalibur.com. If you stay with it, you’ll find that excellence will creep into every crevice. That’s a contagion that you hope will infect your entire organization.
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This article was published in the June 27, 2011 edition of the North Bay Business Journal, a publication of the New York Times, and a weekly business newspaper which I have served as a regular columnist for over three years. The Business Journal covers the North Bay area of San Francisco – from the Golden Gate bridge north, including the Wine Country of Sonoma and Napa counties. The electronic version of this article, as published by the North Bay Business Journal, may be found here.
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Lary Kirchenbauer is the president of Exkalibur Advisors, providing practical business strategies for family and other privately owned businesses in the middle market. Exkalibur works closely with senior executives and their businesses in the wine and other industries, and hosts the Exkalibur Leadership Forum for leaders of middle market companies in the North Bay. Please visit Exkalibur.com for a library of valuable resources, articles and insights or connect on Twitter, LinkedIN or the Exkalibur fan page on Facebook.
Welcome to Exkalibur. I’m Lary Kirchenbauer, President of Exkalibur Advisors, Inc. Please take advantage of our resources to help you build your business ... and let me know what more we can do to serve you.
Read my latest column from the NY Times affiliate, the North Bay Business Journal.
Lary began advising our company when we were going through some difficult challenges, and now, two years later, we are in a completely different and significantly better place. His advice was specific, direct, and not always what we wanted to hear, and that was invaluable. Lary has been quick to cut through to the heart of an issue. His coaching, prodding, and tough questioning helped us to make changes that truly and measurably have helped both our top and bottom lines.
Paul Levitan, CEO Galaxy Desserts, Inc.
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