The Funky Street Sweeper

Excellence is achieved via qualitative, not quantitative shifts in developing skills. Being part of a qualitatively different world or environment where excellence is expected and practiced is a key to achieving excellence.

The following quote from Martin Luther King beautifully demonstrates the meaning of a qualitative shift and how it pertains to personal excellence.

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”

Enjoy this video of the funkiest street sweeper in the world, Ziggy Dust.

The bin man spins, slides and twirls his litter stick as he collects rubbish around the streets of Hounslow, west London.

‘I love to see people smile when they see me dancing and the Council has been very supportive in letting me do my job in a different way,’ said Ziggy.

The moral of this message is simple: Find a calling and then deliver it with excellence and your own sense of style.

What To Do Now? Click here to get your copy of Everything Counts and remember to Comment and Share your feedback with friends and colleagues.

Improvement is the key to success.

Every day requires dedication, discipline, good judgment, energy — and the feeling that there’s something about yourself that you can make better. Each day offers an opportunity for improvement; and each moment serves as an opportunity to advance or to retreat in the pursuit of your goals.

Personal development is a lifelong pursuit, because life is a work-in-progress. You never totally arrive; there is always some polishing to do, some knowledge to gain, and a love to deepen.

Self-development ends only when we run out of time. You are and will always be the self in evolution. Who couldn’t progress a little as a parent, child, spouse, friend, citizen, or employee?

No one is perfect; no one walks the straight and narrow line all the time. And this absence of perfection leaves the door open for improvement. Our fight is not external; it lays internally in mastery over self.

If we are to dominate events and experience greater levels of performance, we must first dominate ourselves and it begins with a rigorous focus on personal development.

Demonstrate excellence throughout your journey.

Excellence is a quality, a standard, and it will become the expected norm once you embrace excellence as a core value.

A commitment to excellence is best represented by the words Alpha to Omega. From beginning to end, first to last, and from start to finish-excellence always!

Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In our world it has come to signify a beginning, the first step on the path to a goal. Alpha may be a plan, an action, or intention, but without it, one can never reach any goal.

Omega is the twenty-fourth and last letter of the Greek alphabet. Reaching it means you have gone through all the steps and reached your goal. You have accomplished what you set out to do, and demonstrated excellence throughout the journey.

But when it comes to excellence and getting results, omega does not mean the end. The reaching of one goal, frees you to set another, much more challenging goal.

So, while omega marks an accomplishment, it is the link between accomplishing one thing, and setting a new challenge. It is the link that completes and expands the circle of ever-increasing success and excellence.

Excellence is not a relative term. It is the standard by which you judge what you do, and it’s a form of currency that helps you both capture material wealth and realize the inherent value of your potential.

Perform in an outstanding manner.

First and foremost, you must live and die by the spirit of this rule:

“If you are not committed to delivering results that are profound, dramatic and superior – NEVER COMPETE!”

Let’s consider the ramifications of these 16 simple words. They remind me of something that Steve Jobs of Apple once said.

“It’s not enough to make your offer or performance great, it should be INSANELY great. Incremental improvements over your competition’s offers, or even your own previous offers, don’t cut it. You should shoot for TEN times better.”

Being outstanding means redefining existing standards of performance, and challenging existing paradigms of world best practices.

The Ritz-Carlton epitomizes what it means to create and sustain outstanding performance.

The Ritz-Carlton is the first and only Hotel Company to win the coveted Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award; in fact they are the first and only Service Company to win the award twice.

When you stay at the Ritz-Carlton, you get to experience and enjoy the finest service and facilities in the world. They have consciously developed a legacy, and a reputation for outstanding service and innovation.

The standards of service, dining and facilities set by the Ritz-Carlton serve as a benchmark for all hotels and resorts worldwide. In short, The Ritz-Carlton has set the standards by which everyone else must compete.

What follows are the Gold Standards, which serve as the foundational principals of the Ritz-Carlton. These Gold Standards drive outstanding results. They encompass the values and philosophy by which they operate and include:

• The Credo,
• The Motto,
• The Three Steps of Service,
• The Basics,
• The Employee Promise.

Credo

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel is a place where the genuine care and comfort of our guests is our highest mission.

We pledge to provide the finest personal service and facilities for our guests who will always enjoy a warm, relaxed, yet refined ambience.

The Ritz-Carlton experience enlivens the senses, instills well-being, and fulfills even the unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests.

Motto

We Are Ladies and Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen.

Three Steps of Service

1. A warm and sincere greeting. Use the guest name if and when possible.
2. Anticipation and Compliance with guest needs.
3. Fond farewell. Give them a warm good-bye and use their names, if and when possible.

The Basics (20)

1. The Credo is the principle belief of our Company. It must be known, owned and energized by all.
2. Our Motto is “We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen.” As service professionals, we treat our guests and each other with respect and dignity.
3. The Three Steps of Service are the foundation of Ritz-Carlton hospitality. These steps must be used in every interaction to ensure satisfaction, retention and loyalty.
4. The Employee Promise is the basis for our Ritz-Carlton work environment. It will be honored by all employees.
5. All employees will successfully complete annual Training Certification for their position.
6. Company objectives are communicated to all employees. It is everyone’s responsibility to support them.
7. To create pride and joy in the workplace, all employees have the right to be involved in the planning of the work that affects them.
8. Each employee will continuously identify defects throughout the Hotel.
9. It is the responsibility of each employee to create a work environment of teamwork and lateral service so that the needs of our guests and each other are met.
10. Each employee is empowered. For example, when a guest has a problem or needs something special you should break away from your regular duties, address and resolve the issue.
11. Uncompromising levels of cleanliness are the responsibility of every employee.
12. To provide the finest personal service for our guests, each employee is responsible for identifying and recording individual guest preferences.
13. Never lose a guest. Instant guest pacification is the responsibility of each employee. Whoever receives a complaint will own it, resolve it to the guest’s satisfaction and record it.
14. “Smile – we are on stage.” Always maintain positive eye contact. Use the proper vocabulary with our guests. (Use words like – “Good Morning,” “Certainly,” “I’ll be happy to,” and “My pleasure.”)
15. Be an ambassador of your Hotel in and outside of the work place. Always talk positively. Communicate any concerns to the appropriate person.
16. Escort guests rather than pointing out directions to another area of the Hotel.
17. Use Ritz-Carlton telephone etiquette. Answer within three rings and with a “smile” Use the guest’s name when possible. When necessary, ask the caller “May I place you on hold?” Do not screen calls. Eliminate call transfers whenever possible. Adhere to voice mail standards.
18. Take pride in and care of your personal appearance. Everyone is responsible for conveying a professional image by adhering to Ritz-Carlton clothing and grooming standards.
19. Think safety first. Each employee is responsible for creating a safe, secure and accident free environment for all guests and each other. Be aware of all fire and safety emergency procedures and report security risks immediately.
20. Protecting the assets of a Ritz-Carlton Hotel is the responsibility of every employee. Conserve energy, properly maintain our hotels and protect the environment.

The Employee Promise

At The Ritz-Carlton, our Ladies & Gentlemen are the most important resource in our service commitment to our guests.

By applying the principles of trust, honesty, respect, integrity and commitment, we nurture and maximize talent to the benefit of each individual and the company.

The Ritz-Carlton fosters a work environment where diversity is valued, quality of life is enhanced, individual aspirations are fulfilled, and The Ritz-Carlton mystique is strengthened.

So what can you learn from the Ritz-Carlton?

1. Gold Standards are a model of simplicity, however they become a work of art once personally owned, employed and enforced.
2. Create your own Gold Standards or use these as a benchmark for delivering outstanding results.
3. You can choose the rules by which you compete and thus raise the performance bar for everyone else to follow.

So what do you do if your performance is not currently superior to everyone and everything else around you?

Easy. Decide to deliver outstanding results, and deliver them – starting right NOW!

Every opportunity offers a chance to perform in an outstanding manner. If you own a business or work for one, you must be able to engineer your performance so that is PROFOUNDLY superior, thus separating you from everyone in the marketplace.

Being outstanding is an outstanding goal to shoot for!

Stop – right now, this instant by simply deciding to quit doing less than excellent work. What a profound idea!

Embrace this reality, mediocrity is a choice; it’s not always made consciously, but it is still a choice. You commit career malpractice every time you do things in a mediocre manner; every time you show up late for a meeting; every time you are unprepared, every time you do less than your best.

There is no inherent value in mediocrity, so there is no reason for people to stop and pay attention to you or your work.  Choose to never compromise your talent, quality and high standards; and you will never choose mediocrity.

Being the best has nothing to do with size, education, or bloodline; it has everything to do with decision, commitment, action, and persistence.

Excellence is a habit; a momentary happening; a crossroad where the body, mind and spirit all work together. Professional athletes call it being in “the zone” when their athletic prowess, experience and talent peak. Everyone has this potential to achieve excellence—even you!

Excellence in every endeavor requires that a price be paid; whatever you are willing to pay in sweat to find it and keep it in good working order.

Those who have legitimately reached the summit of their careers and relationships have worked harder and longer; studied and planned more assiduously; paid attention to the details; practiced more self-denial; and overcome more difficulties than those who have not risen as far.

The best part is that you can become excellent in a second — beginning right now. Start by visualizing yourself as the best teacher, artist, manager, coach, or parent that you aspire to become — and start acting the part. Put yourself in the best possible position to succeed; then perform your script exactly as it plays out in your mind.

It takes less than a second to raise your standards higher than they are right now.  You must merely decide to deliver world-class quality; but it takes a lifetime of passionate pursuit to maintain it — whether you are the concierge at a hotel, the manager of a small department or the CEO of an international firm.

Excellence is a guilty pleasure, as it builds confidence, enhances peace of mind, and creates a sustainable competitive advantage. Why? Because most people are not hard acts to follow; and that’s exactly why a commitment to excellence is the ultimate competitive advantage.

Excellence is achieved via qualitative, not quantitative, shifts in developing skills. Be part of a qualitatively different world or environment, where excellence is expected and practiced is a key to achieving excellence.