How Great Do You Want to Be?

Momentary greatness is common – sustained greatness is rare. You may have experienced it yourself. I have. I can hit an amazing golf shot or make a 25 foot putt and then, reality sets in. My next drive goes 30 feet rather than 300 yards and I can easily miss a 2 foot putt! The same challenge exists in organizations. The great ones are able to consistently Excel at Execution… how?

Why are some organizations able to achieve AND sustain greatness? The quick answer is they are never satisfied. Regardless of the level of excellence they achieve, they always Raise the Bar. The leaders in these High Performance Organizations understand, it is better to raise the bar yourself vs. waiting on your competition to do it for you.

The following is an excerpt from the Chess Not Checkers Field Guide. Randy Gravitt and I wrote it as a blueprint for creating your own High Performance Organization.

Do you know what you would find if you visited your chief competitor? There would be a group of people huddled in a room, focused on one thing … how to eat your lunch! One of the best practices of High Performance Organizations is they are constantly attempting to Raise the Bar and distance themselves from the competition.

May I remind you, “Records are made to be broken.” Those six words have pushed individuals, teams, and yes, even organizations to the rare air of record performance. Occasionally, we see a glimpse of a group who can sustain such excellence over long periods of time, and we label them as a “dynasty.” Do you have dynasty potential? I’m guessing you do.

As you assess your organization, do your current results lean toward ordinary or extraordinary? Would your competition describe you as average or awesome? When is the last time your people set their sights on something great and pursued it together? Not just your leaders but everyone in the organization. Amazing things can be accomplished when leaders Raise the Bar and call out the best in the people around them.

High Performance Organizations refuse to settle for good. Instead, they lock in on being great and maintain focus. No team drifts to greatness, and yours is no exception. You will never hope your way into high performance. Hope is not a strategy.

If today finds you at a place where your business is merely blending in with the competition, it is time to Raise the Bar.

There’s an old Latin word that is a great reminder to leaders. Quantuvis means “as great as you choose.” The reality is, your organization can be as great as you choose it to be. Make the decision to Raise the Bar, and you’ll be amazed. And you might even give your competition a reason to worry. The rare air of high performance is waiting on you!