“A man’s reach,” wrote Robert Browning, “must exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”

This reaching, this searching for something better, for the realization of a dream or ideal, is the pursuit of excellence.

It’s the motivation of the monk entering meditation or prayer, the farmer sowing seed, the nurse adjusting a patients pillow, the executive charting an organization’s future.

Excellence is the pulley by which we lift the present into the future.

Why choose excellence?

Because the status quo is not enough, in fact, it’s unacceptable.

Unfortunately, far too many people and organizations have not made that decision and function in a suspended state of mediocrity.

As a result, reputations are damaged, brands become diluted, and both opportunities and years are lost by blatant disregard for the small stuff which negatively impacts their overall results.

The popular philosophy that instructs us not to “sweat the small stuff” is flawed, because it breeds poor customer service, under performance, wasted opportunity, mistakes, inconsistencies, rework, and oversights.

From typos to tardiness, many people and organizations act as if details just don’t matter much. The result of this mind-set is that they treat customers poorly, deliver sloppy results, and show up both unprepared and late.

While mission statements and service creeds extol excellence, quality, and consistency, clients and customers tend to receive mediocrity, apathy, and-far too often-incompetence.

Quite frankly, this has to stop…and it needs to stop now.

If a business, individual, family, church or country truly wants to create a culture of excellence and reach their full potential, then it must embrace and adopt EVERYTHING COUNTS as its operational philosophy!

This adoption will become the driver for organizing all educational, sales, service, government, family and quite frankly ALL performance-improvement initiatives.

WHAT TO DO NOW? Share your two-cents worth on committing to excellence both personally and professionally.

Search wherever you will for a single sound argument against the principle of going the extra mile, and you will not find it, nor will you find a single instance of enduring success which was not attained in part by its application.

From parenting children to managing a staff, the true leaders in any field are willing to go farther than anyone else…the extra mile.

YOUR ability to elicit behavior that goes above and beyond the call of duty is a key asset and competitive weapon, one that is extremely difficult for competitors to imitate and virtually impossible to ignore.

In today’s competitive environment, it’s simply not enough to just show up and do your work. Simply stated, superior performance is not, never has been, nor will it ever be the by-product or ordinary efforts!

YOU must embrace the fact that in order for you to remain competitive, then it’s in your best interest to learn what it takes to go the extra mile and exceed expectations at all times.

Everything Counts shows you how!

WHAT TO DO NOW? Share your two-cents on the importance of going the extra mile.

MOST of those people are not hard acts to follow…and that’s exactly why a commitment to excellence is the ultimate competitive advantage.

The great part about excellence is that it is achieved via QUALITATIVE, not quantitative shifts in developing skills.

What that means is a focus on developing assets such as the quality of your thoughts, expertise, image, leadership, and reputation are priority #1.

Why? It’s actually very simple as an improvement on your qualitative assets, guarantees an improvement in your quantitative results.

Being part of a qualitatively different world or environment where excellence is expected and practiced is the 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.”

The moral of this message is simple: Focus on the quality of your work, and demonstrate excellence in every way, shape and form.

WHAT TO DO NOW? Share your two-cents worth on how you can apply this everything counts message in your life and career.

It offers a philosophy that is immensely popular, but highly flawed as it panders to the majority by telling them what they want to hear rather than what they need to do.

As pragmatic advice on how to run a business and live a life of excellence, it’s a big steaming pile of nonsense.

This is bad advice, and it spells trouble in the current economy.

All the power and leverage is with the customer and they will exercise their power by leaving one business in favor of another over very small things, things that could have easily been avoided by simply using common sense and paying attention to the small stuff.

Every business is severely and adversely affected by poor customer retention. If a customer abandons one restaurant or coffee shop for another it’s most likely NOT because of the food or coffee, but due to dissatisfaction over a small detail like;

• Having to hunt down a waiter for more coffee or the check.
• Not receiving a genuine welcome or prompt greeting.
• Too long on hold when making reservations.
• Table conversation constantly interrupted.
• Gum or debris on the ground.
• Too long a wait for service.
• An unclean fork or glass.
• Apathetic personnel.
• A filthy bathroom.
• No eye contact.

The cost of losing a customer is multiplied in tough times simply because there is a smaller pool of replacements and much more intense competition for them.

Do NOT be fooled by mainstream news; businesses are not suddenly upside down thanks only to a credit crunch or drop in customer spending; there’s much more to
their suddenly revealed weaknesses than that.

They have gone on too long not sweating the small stuff, and now they are suffering consumer’s revenge.

If you have any interest in being competitive than start sweating the small stuff because every little thing does count.

WHAT TO DO NOW? Share your two-cents worth on the power of small details and what you are doing to make everything count.

Everything Counts! is an execution strategy for inspiring excellence and driving exceptional results. It offers a profoundly important message for running a great business and for enjoying a fulfilling quality of life.

Its meaning is simple, yet powerful…

everything you think…

everything you say…

This is the golden rule of excellence!

By adopting the golden rule of excellence, you’ll begin to examine even the smallest details; those which in the past may have compromised performance and even contaminated your character and reputation.

No matter how you define performance excellence, it will always include exceptional quality, meticulous attention to details, uncompromising standards, and superior craftsmanship fueled by love and passion.

Excellence is respected and admired, and serves as the triumphant accomplishment of those unwilling to accept anything less than their absolute best.

World-class results are the product of world-class habits and activities. From start to finish, the distinguishing characteristics of success are found in the details.

Make no mistake, the adoption of an Everything Counts! philosophy takes conscious effort, immense discipline, and a deep reservoir of commitment. If it were easy, you wouldn’t need those attributes to be successful!

What To Do Now? Share your two-cents worth on the importance of making everything count!

He asks one what they’re doing.

“What does it look like?” he says with a sneer. “Hauling rocks.”

Unsatisfied with that answer, the passerby asks another construction worker the same question.

The workman doesn’t bother looking up. “We’re putting up a wall.”

Frustrated, the man tries one last time. “I say there,” he asks the next fellow, “can you tell me what you men are doing here?”

The workman puts down his wheelbarrow, wipes his forehead and says with a broad smile, “We’re building a cathedral.”

Here are three men, all doing the same job. One is hauling rocks. One is putting up a wall. One is building a cathedral.

This story says a lot about the attitude that each of us brings to our lives… or could if we were willing to change our perspective.

My primary occupation, for example, is creating and distributing advice / information. One reason I write is to meet my overhead and put food on the table. To that extent, I’m hauling rocks.

A greater objective is to build a publishing and media business. The more successfully we market ourselves, the more people we attract, the better our business performs. To that extent, I’m
putting up walls.

But the real objective of my creating and distributing advice is to help people throughout the world to achieve and maintain high levels of performance excellence. When I stay focused on that, I’m building a cathedral. (And, not incidentally, meeting my lesser goals, as well.)

Idealists will counter that achieving and maintaining high levels of performance excellence has nothing to do with building cathedrals. They are mistaken.

You can improve yourself, voice your opinions, or organize around a cause without a commitment to excellence. But you won’t effect much change in your community – or build an actual cathedral – without it.

Contrary to what some believe, performance excellence isn’t about “showing off nor showing up the other guy.”

Excellence is about pride, high-standards, and healthy self-esteem along with a commitment to being the best you can be. It liberates you from the crowded field of mediocrity allowing you to stand out, rise up and shine bright!

You can’t reach your potential or live life to the fullest if you spend your days making excuses, having or accepting low standards, and doing just enough to get by. No one can attain greatness by demonstrating mediocre behavior nor accepting it from the people they surround themselves with.

A commitment to performance excellence in every area of your life is the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or woman, black or white, young or old, handsome or homely, educated or not.

If you focus on excellence, and never make an exception, you will find in short order that the cream ALWAYS rises to the top.

Performance excellence is freedom, security and peace of mind. It allows you to inspire and help others, to do and be what you want. It enables you to follow your dreams, to spend your life the way you choose on your terms.

A commitment to excellence gives you dignity. It gives you choices and fills you with immense pride. That’s why every man and woman has the right – and I believe the responsibility – to pursue excellence and to become their very best.

When my advice empowers people, when it gives them direction, comfort, hope and peace of mind, I feel good about my work. I’m building a cathedral.

You can apply the same line of thinking to whatever you do.

I created the 100 Day Challenge to show you how to achieve and maintain high levels of performance and invite you to join a very special community of people who are all committed to a common goal — creating lives of excellence.

The choice is yours. You can haul rocks. You can put up walls. Or you can build a cathedral.

Come join us and let me help you build your cathedral.

WHAT TO DO NOW? Share your thoughts on this post and come check out the most extreme performance acceleration program on earth!

All around the world, a pervasive recession continues, but it is not universal.

It is an assault on mediocrity. Mediocre performers on a global scale are under attack and for a number of good reasons.

• They are almost always late for work,
• They are more than often unprepared,
• They demonstrate an apathetic attitude,
• They are undependable and inconsistent,
• They focus on problems rather than solutions,
• They do not innovate, take initiative, nor go the extra mile,
• They choose to make excuses rather than take responsibility,
• They do not add value; in fact they rob value from the customer,
• They constantly make mistakes that cost time and money to be corrected.

The facts are simple, in today’s economy these demonstrated behaviors put mediocre performers in a position of being UNEMPLOYABLE.

The jobs they had are NOT coming back and they must raise their game.

There are NO OTHER OPTIONS.

Let me be perfectly clear on this point, there’s never a good time to be mediocre, but a recession punishes those who are inflicted with this disease.

As far as employment opportunities are concerned, it’s cherry picking time for smart managers and entrepreneurs.

Why?

Top performers are in high demand now, as they have always been and companies do not have to settle for knuckleheads.

They lead in the cone of innovation. They focus on solving customer problems. They invent and innovate to create a better experience for customers. They constantly go the extra mile as a discipline and they are committed to excellence and doing things right the first time.

In doing so, they provide their own companies with new solutions and offerings. These professionals and their companies are never at the mercy of a downturn.

They are highly sought after, because no matter what, they are devising solutions and providing answers.

Therefore commit your life, career and every effort to excellence as a commitment to excellence and a massive dose of self-reliance are mandatory success requirements for EVERY profession.

To learn 52 remarkable ways to inspire excellence and drive results in your life and career, check out my latest CD program.

What To Do Now? Comment and Share your feedback with friends and colleagues.

And with this understanding in mind, it amazes me to see how many people:

- Listen to nasty music and think it won’t affect them.

- Watch bad images and think they will not be impacted by them.

- Lie, cheat, and steal and think that it will not undermine their reputation.

- Are late, unprepared and apathetic and think that it will not impact their income potential.

- Make excuses and blame others for their sorry state and think that it serves a useful purpose.

- Surround themselves with a lousy reference group and think that they will not become just like them.

- Gossip about and criticize other people and think that it does not demonstrate a lack of character.

- Expose their mind and soul to behavioral indecencies and really think that it will not negatively impact their results.

These people are delusional if they think that’s the case.

UNFORTUNATELY, far too many are OVER-EXPOSED to these behavioral indecencies which add absolutely no value to their lives.

In fact, by remaining exposed to these indecencies, they are in effect digging a grave which they may never climb out of.

THE SOLUTION

You must never forget that your mind thinks about what it is exposed too.

Therefore, consciously give serious and consistent exposure to whatever is:

- True

- Noble

- Right

- Pure

- Lovely

- Admirable

If anything is excellent or praiseworthy–expose yourself accordingly.

YOUR TWO-STEP CHALLENGE

Your challenge each and every day is twofold:

Step 1. Expose yourself to new ideas, to stimulating conversation, to positivity, to good–honorable people, to quality music, to healthy food, and…anything that is virtuous.

Step 2. Expose other people to your good character, sound judgment, and to your helpful nature.

You must expose people to the example you want emulated in society.

You must consistently expose yourself, your children, employees and friends to world-class ideas, and that is exactly why I created Everything Counts!

In this one-of-a-kind program, you will be exposed to:

- Excellence

- Quality

- Commitment

- Integrity

- Attention to detail

- The competitive advantages of speed

- Accountability and reputational collateral

- Best personal practices of the most product people that ever lived

and so much more…

Get your copy now!

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

The Funky Street Sweeper

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. 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 morning when you wake up, you can — and should — embrace the notion that there is something about you, your life, your business, or the way that you carry yourself that could stand to be improved.

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.

Let’s cut right to the chase, you make hundreds of decisions every day. Some matter more than others. But committing to excellence is one of the most important decisions you will ever make in terms of your life’s success.

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.

I’ve always been impressed with the Socratic Method of teaching by asking good, sound, leading questions that challenge the intellect, so here’s one for you to ponder: “How does one create and sustain outstanding performance?”

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 ambiance.

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!

Is so, then here’s a guaranteed strategy that will work instantly for anyone, anywhere, in any profession.

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.