Raise the bar high

The first rule of professional excellence is that ‘good enough’ is not good enough. When we accept good enough, we impose limitations on ourselves and our expectations. This holds us back, prevents progress, and limits our potential. If we want success and the recognition that comes with it, we must raise the bar, be pioneers and demand more of ourselves. This means setting higher standards and rising to the challenge of doing whatever it takes to make it happen, even when what it takes is complex. If we are to strive for excellence, we need to lead the way by putting ourselves on a very different path from others. When we pursue and model excellence, we become trailblazers. We set the quality and standards for others to follow and raise the bar entirely.

Anyone who has ever attended a business award ceremony knows these are auspicious occasions. Rightly so, because any success brought about by going above and beyond in terms of quality and standards deserves to be recognised and celebrated. However, excellence is not about winning awards. It is about pursuing a higher purpose: that of self-improvement, doing better and being better. Our award winners will have challenged themselves to do just that. It is this which will have led to their success. Having already committed to pursuing excellence within practice, the award is like a cherry on top of the cake. This formal recognition brings the winners a more profound level of satisfaction for something they were already enthusiastic about and dedicated to.

Before anyone gets too disheartened by the absence of a gilt-edged award on the shelf, it is worth remembering that recognition of excellence comes in many ways. The certificates of achievement and accreditation we acquire attest to our compliance with industry and quality standards. The positive online client review, which describes how we delivered as promised, the recommendation that brought us new clients, and the thank you card and gift expressing gratitude for our expertise and efficiency all validate our pursuit of excellence. Any form of recognition and appreciation that recognises quality, innovation, the effectiveness of our commercial endeavours, and service to clients, is worth shouting about, not least because best practice inspires others to follow suit.

Excellence is, however, transient. Past success does not necessarily define future success. As any athlete will tell you, you are only ever as good as your last race. Their dash to the finish line in record time, lengths ahead of their fellow competitors, represents the outcome of months, maybe even years, of arduous training to achieve a much sought-after personal ambition. Throughout this process, they have challenged themselves to be better than they were the day before. It is this which has led them to achieve success. However, to stay on top of the game and keep winning, they must keep training and pushing themselves to be better, fitter, and stronger. Why? Because there are other athletes out there desperate to catch them up and pass them by.

It is the same in business. The glory of any momentous achievement will only ever be short-lived. Unless we aspire and commit to the continual pursuit of excellence, the competition will quickly muscle in to steal our glory and our clients.

Extract from the book Professionalism Matters, Chapter 8 – Professional Excellence. Published by Tantamount. © Dr Cheryl E Whiting, August 2023.