QUALITY & EXCELLENCE IS NO ACCIDENT

This is the second blog post in a series of the 4 ATTITUDE PILLARS I use in my coaching sessions. This week, the topic is "EXCELLENCE."

"Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected." –Steve Jobs

Quality and excellence go hand in hand. Striving for excellence in our daily lives is vital for healthy living. Quality leaves people dazzled. After all, who doesn't appreciate quality products and excellent experiences?

Quality is never an accident; it will not just happen by osmosis. It results from a commitment to excellence in every detail.

Every six months, I invest significant time analyzing the delivery of my speaking engagements. I break down the various elements of my presentations one by one: the pre-session communications with the clients, the actual opening remarks and attention getters I have used, the body or the 'meat' of each presentation and how I transferred my knowledge and skills to my audiences, and how I wrapped the presentations up and brought them to a close.

I then give myself a score for each of these elements as I compare my session performance to last year's sessions. In addition, I rate myself on my clarity, enthusiasm, sincerity, connections with people before and after events, and so forth so that I have a benchmark on how well I am doing. Since it is my greatest desire to deliver the highest quality experience possible for my participants in my sessions, workshops, and presentations, I am very tough on myself.

Every day I remind myself that quality is not an accident; therefore, I must plan for it. I must execute the plan and then analyze all the results. I must continue to improve with every experience and opportunity. I know that if I continue with this mindset, my products, services, and other offerings will be in higher demand, and I will (God willing) be in business for a long time into the future.

Quality and excellence do not "just happen"! It requires work, commitment, and dedication. And you, my friend, are up to the task, so go for it!