Leaders often hear the word “excellent” in business and even use it themselves. A few examples:

• The book I read was excellent.
• The service at ABC Restaurant was excellent.
• The weekend’s weather will be excellent.

People accept “excellent” or “excellence” to mean the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. But in this powerful quotation, Winston Churchill defined “excellence” a little differently:

“Excellence is … Caring more than others think is wise; Risking more than others think is safe;
Dreaming more than others think is practical; Expecting more than others think is possible.”

Read this a few times to absorb the power of Churchill’s message, then take action because of it.

Leadership Tip
Take time to evaluate your company’s current level of excellence as defined by Winston Churchill and then reach for a higher level.

Let’s break this definition into bite-size chunks based on caring, risking, dreaming, and expecting.

Caring – Do you show you honestly care about your organization? Is there more you could and should do? Think of your team, customers, and community.

Risking – Are you taking the kind of reasonable risks that will catapult your organization to a higher level? Or are your strategies and plans safe and conventional? Think marketing, competition, and market share.

Dreaming – Do you have a vision for your organization that is exciting and stretches everyone involved? Or is your vision conservative and simply boring words on paper? Think improvement, creativity, and innovation.

Expecting – Are the challenges you’ve assigned your people reasonable given the resources your organization has? Or are the performance challenges mundane? Think growth, quality, and customer service performance.

Churchill’s message challenges leaders to be more dynamic and exciting than ever. Are you challenging yourself and your team to be better, more productive, and more exciting?

Everyone wants to be part of a stimulating organization that’s going places. It’s your job to lead them there. Embrace this message to reach a higher level of excellence now before your competition does. It’s time.