How do you define excellence?  What describes an excellent life?  Many have tried to describe what is best seen, felt, and observed over time.  For example:

“We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters.  Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.” – Colin Powell

Excellence is often assigned to both what we do and how we do it.  As Aristotle said, it is also a habit.  And, it is important for both little and big things, says Powell.  So, how can we describe excellence?  What describes an excellent life?

I believe there are 10 key elements or characteristics that describe an excellent life.  This applies to excellence associated with both “people performance” and “how we live.”  I have tried to describe an excellent life by what characteristics always accompany it.  So, take a look and see if you agree:

10 Key Characteristics that Describe an Excellent Life

1. Intentional – Excellence is an act of the will or personal desire to excel – it is not accidental.  An individual acting with excellence has the express intent to perform at a level higher that is expected or than others would aspire.
2. Attitude – Excellence is not a single act, but an ongoing high standard of personal performance.  Many attempt to ascribe excellence to a single event or action by an individual.  However, excellence is define more by attitude (purpose) than any single result.
3. Improvement – Excellence is the result of a constant push to do better.  It is a dissatisfaction with the status quo.  Excellence is the result of this ongoing desire to improve.  A person of excellence is always working to raise the bar of their performance or treatment of others.
4. Value – Excellence imparts value to yourself and others.  It is visible, uncommon, and desired.  Excellence makes things, people, and time better.  A person living an excellent life is constantly striving to add value to the lives of others.
5. Discipline – Excellence is the habit resulting from doing small things well over and over again (e.g., See quotes above by Aristotle and Powell).  Excellence is not the result of a doing one thing well on one day.  It is typified by ongoing, focused effort.
6. Integrity – Excellence is typified not just by what you do, but by how you do it.  Excellence is not defined by results, but by how those results were obtained, how people were treated, and how you feel by being with and around that individual.
7. Sustained – Excellence is not a “flash in the pan.”  It is a high standard of performance exhibited over time.  Excellence is typically ascribed to a lifetime of effort, not one “excellent” day or event.
8. Urgent – Excellence is typified by action.  A person living an excellent life is one that not only seek to do well, but does it.  An excellent personal realizes that “talk is cheap” and is usually the first to initiate or take needed actions.
9. Service – Excellence is not confined to one individual.  A person living an excellent life will, to a very large extend, be dedicated to others.  An excellent life is one that is poured into making a difference to others.
10. Godly – Is it really possible to live an excellent life as described in the 9 characteristics above in our own human effort?  I would argue that one might achieve several of most of these with typical human effort.  However, I would contend that no human life is truly excellent without a focus, dedication, commitment, and dependence on God.  When we place our lives in the hands of His Son, Jesus, we are empowered to live our lives in ways that impact others.  An excellent life will also be marked by a life dedicated to serving others and God.

 

So, how does my list of Excellence Attributes work for you?  When you consider excellence in how we live, would you always find these 10 characteristics.  Think of that one person in your life that you would say most closely typifies “an excellent person” or “an excellent life.”  Would you find these elements in their life?

So, the question for us is this, “If we agree that these characteristics define an excellent life, how do I measure up?”  What do I need to change in my life?  How can I raise the bar on how I live and how I treat others?

My hope today is that my description of an excellent life would make a difference to you or someone else in your life.  If any of these 10 elements is missing in your life, what can you do to seek it for your own.  Things to consider.  Have a great day!

 

 

No, I am not becoming a LinkedIn addict!  However, I do find some information on it a bit entertaining.  Below are some of the comments and statements I observed recently:

1. “To achieve the INCREDIBLE, you have to attempt the IMPOSSIBLE.” – Darren Hardy
2. “We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong.  The amount of work is the same.” – Unknown
3. “Fortune does favor the bold and you’ll never know what you’re capable of if you don’t try.” – Sheryl Sandberg
4. “Set a goal so big that you can’t achieve it until you grow into the person who can.” – Unknown
5. “If you really want to do something, you will find a way.  If you don’t, you will find an excuse.” – Jim Rohn

What is the common theme of these five statements?  Each talks about that motivation for action that can only come from within us.  Attempting the impossible… make ourselves strong… being bold… setting big goals… finding a way…  These statements are a call to action for us to achieve more than we ever believed was possible.  Have you reached a point that you think you cannot achieve anything greater?  Then, try harder.  Are your achievements too small or seemingly insignificant?  Then, dream bigger.  Are you finding reasons why you never get the break or that no one ever takes a chance on you?  Then, make your own break.  We need to quit making excuses and find our own way forward.  That’s the message from these statements.

So, as long as you have breath to breathe; as long as the sun continues to rise; and as long as your badge still blinks green when you come to work; there is something great that each of us can accomplish.  Don’t give up hope and don’t stop striving.

This could be our best day yet… there is still a chance.

Napoleon Bonaparte once said:

“Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.”

Passion can be a great thing.  It provides drive to accomplish things.  It is an inner energy for something.  It fuels a love for someone or something.  Passion is that attribute of leadership that can accomplish great works, generate great excitement, and inspire others to accomplish even more.  However, without principles to guide it, passion can drive very bad actions as easily as it can very good actions.  Consider the table below:

Passion can drive…Good Actions	Passion can drive…Bad Actions
·       Drive exceptional results ·       Help an employee develop in their career, expand skills, or stretch their capabilities ·       Expand or grow our business ·       Deliver on ambitious objectives previously believed impossible to achieve ·       Create opportunities from challenges ·       Make a difference in the life of a coworker or another individual	·       Compromising standards to meet a project deadline ·       Violating the rights of an individual to meet a deadline or fulfill an urgent request ·       Cheat ·       Compromise values that should guide our behavior and actions ·       Take unnecessary risks that could yield undesirable results ·       A poor decision that incurs long-term negative results

What is that one thing that defines whether passion will be used for good actions or bad actions?  I would argue that it is the principles by which we live, act, and operate.  If we value the principles of compliance, treating others how we want to be treated, achieving success with integrity, doing what we say we will do, and adding value to our company/patients/customers, then our passion will accomplish those positive actions, not the negative.

How can you ensure that your passion (and actions) will always be based on positive principles?  What can we do to drive positive behaviors in our teammates?  How can we emphasize positive use of our passions?  I believe there are three key things that we can do to help ensure we properly channel our passions:

1. Determine in advance the principles by which we will live – My wife and I always taught our three kids that the best thing they could do to ensure that they made good decisions under pressure was to decide in advance what boundaries they had.  For instance, if they made a firm commitment in advance that there were no circumstances in which they would experiment with drugs, alcohol, or anything else illegal or immoral, then it would be easier when pressure was applied to say, “No.”  If you wait until you are pressed for an immediate decision, it is much harder to make positive, principled decisions.
2. Model principled behaviors – You cannot very easily lead when you say, “do what I say, not what I do.”  There is no credibility in that at all.  So, you need, as a leader, to “walk the talk.”
3. Reward principled decisions – The best way to motivate others to retain their passion, but do so in a principled way is to recognize and reward individuals that do so.  Highlighting those actions we consider “good” will re-enforce those behaviors and encourage more of it.

Good leaders demonstrate passion, but they do so in a principled, controlled manner.  How does this speak to you today?

Have a fabulous day!

I was raised in a home where my parents placed high expectations on me and my siblings.  These expectations were reasonable and re-enforced regularly.  For example, though no one on either side of our family had ever completed college, that was an expectation for me as early as I can remember.  Behaving well at school was an expectation.  I was one of those told often, “If you ever get in trouble at school and get spanked, you can expect the same thing when you get home, no questions asked.”  As teenagers, we were expected to find work to earn spending money.  We were expected to be home by the curfew time.  We were expected to do what we would say we would do (or were told to do) and do it well.

In short, there were a number of expectations on me from my parents.  Did I feel these were unreasonable or burdensome?  No, of course not.  And, I think the reason I understood, believed, and accepted these expectations was that my parents were also encouraging to us.  They encouraged us to do well in school.  They attended our school, band, and sporting events to encourage us — not just occasionally, but all of them!  They encouraged us to do more than is expected.  They encouraged us to stretch to expand our abilities or to see just how far we could go.  They supported our teachers.  They encouraged us to choose our friends wisely.  I had friends that did not have parents that provided as much encouragement and it is apparent now that they did not perform as well.  Their efforts were lacking and they simply felt that just getting by was good enough.

I see a number of parallels in our work.  All leaders have certain expectations for us.  They expect us to do our jobs well, do more than the minimum, and work diligently to help the company succeed.  However, the GOOD leaders do much more than establish expectations.  They also provide encouragement.  They follow-up.  They ensure we have the tools and resources needed.  They help us understand the importance of what we are doing.  They recognize us for our efforts though praise, both private and public.  They support us and those working with us.  And, they expect us to do our jobs with minimal interference from them.  Bottom line…  the very BEST leaders use encouragement and support to motivate us to perform much better than we ever would without it.  They elevate our performance by encouraging and motivating us.

As a leader of people, how are you doing in the area of encouragement.  Are you an encouraging parent?  Are you an encouraging coworker?  Are you a consistent encourager of those you work around?  Having expectations without providing a steady and consistent stream of encouragement leads a lack of motivation and, as a result, lesser performance and satisfaction.

Have a wonderful, safe, and productive day!

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”

“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh.  “What do you say, Piglet?”

“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully.  “It’s the same thing,” he said.”

• A. Milne (from Winnie the Pooh)

 

Do you approach each new day with dread, wondering what trials you will endure that day?  Or, do you awake with the excitement of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet?  Each day is a gift with which we can choose to do something honorable, exciting, helpful, courageous, fun, or kind.  Or, we can let the day and its events drag us to a new low.  Someone once said,

“Today is so important that I am giving up a day of my life for it – one which I can never get back.”

So, are you choosing to make today something new and exciting or do you plan to do the same things in the same way and ignore the same people that irritate you in the same way as always?  Today’s challenge is to make this day special… if not for you, do it for someone else.  Add value to someone’s life today.  Do something today that makes a difference for someone else.

The wisdom of Pooh and Piglet apply to us, as well.  Something exciting will probably happen… if we will only open our eyes and look for it.  Have a splendid day!

 

Aspirations without Accountability leads to blame and finger pointing

My wife sometimes calls me a dreamer.  Typically, this is right after I describe some outlandish idea I have about creating a backyard that would make the designers at HGTV drool.  Or, she might say that after my idea of taking all seven of our grandchildren on a trip to every baseball stadium in America next summer.  She has that knack of quickly pulling me back to earth with her practicality.  A simple, “Can you tell me a little bit more about exactly how we would make that happen and who would do it?”  Her simple question of accountability puts an arrow in the heart of my aspirational dream.

Aspirations are easy.  It is easy to declare, “By this time next year, I/we will be the best at ____________.”  Or, “Your goal for this year will be zero downtime and zero material loss.”  OK, easy to say, but nearly impossible to do.  One of my personal favorite quotes is:

“Anything is possible if you don’t have to do it yourself.”

However, when an aspiration is given without accountability (that is, without resources, budget, support, leadership, technology, etc.), the end result is not usually very pretty.  An aspiration without accountability typically leads to someone asking, “Why didn’t you achieve my aspiration?  Who is to blame or is at fault?  Didn’t you understand what I requested?  What is the root cause for your failure?”  You get the picture.  It is easy to set a high bar of achievement, but we must be practical about what it will take to attain it.  There must be buy in or joint accountability for the result.

So, it is great to be a dreamer as an individual, but you need a dose of practicality lest you make a mess of your backyard.  And, as a leader, establishing aspirational goals is terrific… provided you include yourself and the resources you can bring to the table as partners in the effort.

Have a terrific day!

Today on The Porch, we look at another of Aesop’s Fables.  This one is called “The Man and His Two Wives.”  Look for the moral of the story as you read:

                                 The Man and His Two Wives: An Aesop Fable

In the old days, when men were allowed to have many wives, a middle-aged man had one wife that was old and one that was young: each loved him very much, and desired to see him like herself.  Now, the man’s hair was turning grey, which the young wife did not like, as it made him look too old for her husband.  So, every night, she used to comb his hair and pick out the white ones.  But, the elder wife saw her husband growing grey with great pleasure, for she did not like to be mistaken for his mother.  So, every morning, she used to arrange his hair and pick out as many of the black ones as she could.  The consequence was the man soon found himself entirely bald. 

So, what is the moral of the story?  According to Aesop, the moral is, “Yield to all and you will soon have nothing left to yield.”

What does this have to do with us?  I think it applies very well to our role as guardians of excellence in our company.  Though we desire to be collaborative and cooperative and “team players”, there is a time when we simply cannot please everyone.  There is a day that we must take a stand for what is right, what is best, or what makes most sense for our company.  We cannot please everyone all the time.  We cannot always meet every desire of every person.  We cannot satisfy the competing demands that often face us.   We cannot say,  “Yes” to one group when we know that our response will create a significant issue in another.

Likewise, we should not always say, “Yes,” to management.  That’s right, you read correctly.  If we always said yes to everything our management wanted or asked, they would not need us.  We need to have enough courage to give our opinion, even in the face of opposition.  We need to tell is “straight” to our manager, even if we think she/he might want to hear something else.  Our companies need individuals with enough courage and confidence to ensure that all sides are considered.

So, if you yield to all, you’ll soon have nothing left to yield.  Good advice for us all!

Have an excellent day!  Thanks for all you do.

I’m sure that we have all be given advice at some time in our lives.  Some advice was probably good (“Don’t drink, smoke, or chew — or go with girls that do.”) and some probably not so good (“Stay away from that Apple stock — those Mac computers are only for teachers.  Compaq is the company I would invest in.).  Some advice has probably helped us through some hard times, while other may have gotten us into trouble.  In the work arena, we, hopefully, sort out the good advice from bad advice and use it to make us better or more productive.  So, today’s question for you is this:

         What is the best advice you’ve ever been given and how did it make a difference to you?

Here are some of the best advice I have ever been given (only a dozen for today – perhaps more in a future edition):

1. Start meetings on time and end when you’re done – no need to go an hour just because that is what is scheduled and no need to reward those late for the meeting when others arrived on time.
2. If you aren’t making a positive difference for others, then you are not fulfilling your real purpose.
3. Silence is often golden.  (Early in my pharmaceutical career, my boss and an FDA investigator sat in silence looking at each other for a full 30 minutes before the investigator gave up hoping he would say something that would support his contention of wrong-doing.  Saying nothing is always better than putting your foot in your mouth.)
4. Assuming that a PowerPoint presentation is necessary, never create 10 slides when 3 would tell the story just fine.
5. A great day is not defined by what happens, but by how you respond to what happens.  Therefore, you are in complete control of your attitude.
6. “You can’t have a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”  (This advice came to me within the last year – I ran across this quote by John Wooden and it just keeps rolling around in my head every time I think my day is going pretty well.)
7. You don’t know if today will be your last day, so leave people with positive and happy memories of you — just in case!
8. As a QA professional, remember that anyone can do the job when everything is black and white.  You earn your pay helping others get comfortable in the many shades of gray that we actually live in.
9. You’re doing no one a favor by failing to develop your replacement and strong bench strength across the organization.
10. McDonald’s ice cream cones!
11. Everything can be boiled down to a maximum of three key points – what are they?  Forget the rest.
12. Someone needs to be thanked today for what they are doing – identify that person and tell them.

Have a terrific and productive day!  Think about the best advice you have ever received and how you can re-apply that advice today.

 

 

Earlier, we featured a few quotes on The Porch from the American writer, philosopher, and humorist, Mark Twain (or Samuel Clemens).  Twain’s words were primarily intended to inject humor into matters of everyday life.  However, much of what he said also applies to us and what we go through in our everyday lives.   Take a read below and see if you agree:

1. “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” – We are all aging, like it or not.  And, as we age, our body parts begin wearing out.  Trust me, I know first-hand.  I think it is important for us to ensure that we treat everyone equally, though, despite their age.  I have seen situations in another company where an individual was completely discounted for an opportunity because he was “past his prime.”  But we need to be careful about even subtle references to age.  For example, we need to avoid tendencies to “assume” we know whether an individual will retire in 3 years or whether that individual might not want to relocate away from her children or grandchildren.  Let’s do our best to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to serve.
2. “Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Have you ever heard anyone say something like, “I expected you would do the right thing, but it still surprises me when I see it these days.”  Yes, others are watching you, but the real value in “doing the right thing” comes to you internally… just knowing that you maintained your integrity in the face of a temptation to cut a corner.   Yes, it may astonish some, but I am gratified knowing that most people will always do the right thing and for the right reasons.
3. “Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today.” – Anything can still happen today!  There is still a chance!  We need to believe that we can do amazing this.  If you feel defeated, you are defeated.  If you believe you can do more than anyone expects, there is a good chance you will do it.  Don’t give up on today too quickly.  There is still time to finish that big project, make that important decision, or make an impact on someone that is experiencing a challenging time in their life.  Give it a try!
4. “A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.” – Experience is certainly the best teacher we could ever have.  I have often said, “Unless you have worked in one of our manufacturing plants, you have no idea what it takes to accomplish what seems to be simple.  And, unless you have worked in a corporate environment, you have no idea what it takes to reach a consensus on seemingly simple initiatives.”  It is important to remember that only by carrying the cat by the tail, can you speak from experience of what that is like.  And, you probably have the scars to prove it!

Consider Twain’s comments as you go about business today.  Put yourself in the shoes of others.  Keep your integrity.  Believe that today could be an amazing day!  And, rely upon those around you with experience.  Thanks for all you do.  Have a super day!

Certainly, the concept of “Best Day Yet” has been discussed a number of times and is referred to frequently in this blog.  Someone recently asked me a couple questions about my thoughts and experiences and I thought it might be valuable to someone else.

Question: “Have you ever had a ‘worst day yet’ at work?  Can you tell about it?”

Yes, I have had some very difficult days at work.  No one day comes to mind as my single ‘worst day’.  However, let me share some of those.  One time, I had just heard from a good friend that his grandson had died.  I just felt an overwhelming sense of loss for my friend, especially so, given that I have been blessed with seven healthy, happy grandchildren.  I have deeply saddened when I have lost a friend, or loved ones, or when colleagues have lost loved ones.  A number of these challenging days have occurred even within the last year.  I have been saddened with the departure of colleagues or when I personally left good friends behind.  I was saddened when good friends experienced great difficulty at a former employer.

Yes, I have difficult days.  But, you notice… none of these ‘worst days’ have been directly related to work.  Though work challenges do sometimes demotivate me or challenge my ability to work through these issues, those personal hurts that affected me directly or those I care about have impacted me much more that things related to work issues.  Sure, work disappointments do occur, but it is important that they be balanced against personal, positive events in my life.

Question: “What has been your ‘Best Day Yet’ at work?  Can you share specifics?”

Again, I can’t really think of a single ‘best day.’  However, I can name a few possibilities, such as days when individuals that have been in my organization or that I have worked with closely are promoted into key positions – those, to me, are some of my best days!  And, I have been blessed to experience a number of these days in the last year or two.  I hope to have many more of these.  Days when the ‘fruit of our labor’ are harvested are best days – I think of successful projects after we have worked diligently for months to execute, or days when key projects are finalized or “go live” – all great days!  Days when personal events have occurred are great days – for example, days when my grandchildren have been born, or started school, or days when my own kids have had successes, or days when my wife and I celebrate anniversaries or highlights – these are ‘best days.’  Days when our company has great successes or days when personal highlights have occurred are always days to remember.

Best days are almost always shared with others, you’ll notice.  I would guess that this is true for you, as well.  Days we remember are not usually days when we accomplished something alone or that we did not share.  Even when we receive an award or are recognized with a promotion, we cannot help but think of those that helped us achieve that accomplishment. 

 

You can never know when a ‘best day’ or ‘worst day’ might occur.  Typically, for me, these have occurred on days that seemed like ordinary, common days.  I come into my office just like every other day and leave that evening a different person… a person impacted, perhaps permanently, by something good or bad that happened that day.  Cherish those good days, celebrate those highlights, and never take for granted those things and people that make an ordinary day a “best day yet.”

Thanks to all of you that make a positive difference in my life!  Have a terrific, “best day!”