When a business wants to become extraordinary, there has to an understanding that higher standards take more time. You can’t expect to become great overnight.
Often higher standards are about little actions that become unconscious habits. Here are some things to keep in mind as you look at build your business culture around higher standards:
No Shortcuts
Higher standards take more time because you need to make sure you get thing right. For instance, I record introductory videos to meeting planners, who may want to hire me as a keynote speaker.
Sometimes these take longer to record because of these mistakes:
- I slightly slur a word at the end of the video;
- My stomach growls and it’s picked up by the microphone;
- I mispronounce my own name. Yes, this has happened.
In all cases, I need to re-record the message, even if everything else was perfect. Keep in mind, I have no guarantee the video will even be played but I want to make sure it represents me well.
It’s tempting to take a short cut and lower my standards. However, if you do this once, it will likely become a more tempting offer, the next time you’re in that situation.
Hard Work Is Beautiful
When you see a hummingbird fly, it is flapping its wings at an incredibly high rate. The effort allows the bird to glide through the air in ways that dazzle the eye.
In your world, think about those moments when your hard word is beautiful. That doesn’t mean it’s easy but you separate yourself by going the extra mile.
Customers mock laziness and remember hard work.
No One Watches You and Nothing Changes
It’s easy to have good habits when the boss is looking over your shoulder. In successful organizations, people perform the same way, even when no one is watching them.
This tells me the employee understands the demands of the job and why they should be performed a certain way.
Best Practices Survive Departures
Any organization will have its share of staff departures. You know you have a good work culture when best practices continue after these changes.
This doesn’t happen through magic and it’s another example of how higher standards take more time because you’re making sure business values are clearly defined and easy to pass on.
Let’s Create a Memorable Meeting
