Love Your Job

The keys to success come from being good at what you do. Lets face it, you're paid to work and to do a good job - everything else is extra. You're not always going to like 100% of your job. So concentrate on the part that you do.

It's easy to fall into the rut of hating a job - just because there's some aspect of it that you don't like. I've known a lot of people in that position, including myself. You really have to look past some aspects of what you do and seek out the reasons why you liked your job in the first place.

In Larry Winget's book, It's Called Work for a Reason, he says, "Fall in love with the 10 percent of your job that is really your job and just put up with the rest of it - the other 90 percent - because it's just part of what must be done to get you to the 10 percent that you enjoy". Winget gives a good example in explaining that he's a professional speaker about 200 days out of the year, yet he only spends about 100 hours on stage. The rest of all that time is spent traveling, waiting, etc - not really exciting stuff. But he has to wade through all that other stuff to get to the part that he really enjoys. They're necessary evils.

You may have to do some adjusting to get that love of your job back. Find that 10 percent, work at it, and you'll be good at what you do. You may even be excellent at it. That 10 percent is most likely that portion that gets noticed.

Think back to when you started your job. What was it that drew you to it? What aspects of it did you like the best? Make yourself a list. Find that old spark and work at getting it back. Forget all the other stuff and focus on the positive. Pretend that you've just started your job - all over again. Approach it from a new staff perspective - except that you already have the knowledge. Winget says that, "you don't have to love your job in order to be excellent at it. But it helps". It helps a lot!

Stay Informed

Donald Trump says that, "Ignorance is inexcusable; it's the surest way to fail. No acceptable reason exists for not keeping well informed." As a supervisor, this is essential. In order to excel you need to go above and beyond.

I watched a program on TV last night on the National Geographic channel about Air Force One (the Presidents plane). It was really worth my time. It showed just how much preparing and planning it takes to make any kind of trip - especially overseas. The pilot (Air Force Colonel) oversees EVERYTHING. He's constantly reviewing maintenance, scheduling and weather reports. He knows everything that's going on with that aircraft and plans for multiple scenarios.

The thing that was most interesting was the trip they made with President Bush (W) to Iraq for Thanksgiving. It was kept with the utmost secrecy - at that time Baghdad was a true battleground. In order to be able to pull this trip off the Colonel had to be sure that what his crew was doing was in total sync with the rest of the plans. They had to switch planes at one point and ensure they landed at the precise given time. While on the ground they had to be ready - literally at a moments notice - to take off. Now the Colonel could have had the attitude that, "I have great people and they'll handle everything". Sure. He has a highly trained and motivated crew and they each have a load of responsiblity. But he was the glue holding all the pieces together.

This is not a drill in micro-managing. Ugh - I hate that word. It's a matter of being ready, being prepared. It's a matter of gaining knowledge so you can make better and quicker decisions. It's a matter of being the best. Everyone wants to work with and deal with the best. If you work hard, hard workers will want to work with you. Remember - you are a role model. The ability and desire to keep informed will trickle down to your staff. That will make them more knowledgeable, motivated, and productive.

Wanted: Morale

I recently read a survey by the consulting firm Towers Perrin that said that "75% of employees polled believe that they can have a direct impact on their company's success and 72% derive a sense of accomplishment from their jobs".

Employees are looking for more than just a paycheck these days. They want to be treated like human beings, not just another piece of equipment. They WANT to be able to make a difference. The thing is, a lot of managers still don't get the idea. They're still in the age of "do as I say, not as I do". Employees are constantly under a microscope.

I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "do unto others . . .". It goes both ways. Just as you expect to be treated fairly and in a mature fashion, so do your employees. If you show them that you don't care about them, guess what, they show that right back to you. Show them that you care and can work for and with them, and they'll do the same.

Energize your employees - remember, we're all customers to each other in the workplace. Sharon Harwood, from Disney University said, "(Walt) Disney knew you couldn't have a supervisor in the back room yelling at you and then walk through the front door and greet a guest with a big smile as if nothing were wrong".

1001 Ways to Energize Employees by Bob Nelson, talks about how "energizing managers aren't afraid to tell their employees how much they appreciate them. When Ed Stewart, an employee of Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, turned down a better-paying job offer to stay with Southwest, CEO Herb Kelleher walked into his office and kissed him". Now I'm not saying that you need to go around kissing your employees, but it doesn't take much to let them know how much you care for and appreciate them. People want to feel good about where they work and who they work for. They want to be able to wake up in the morning because they want to go to work, not because they have to go. The better they feel, the more committed and productive they are.

Dave Longaberger, CEO of The Longaberger Company summed it up pretty well - "Having a good time is the best motivator there is. When people feel good about a company, they produce more."

How to Lose Trust

Trust - a balance between what staff are giving and what they're receiving. If staff detect an imbalance between these two things, their trust in you or the organization will suffer.

You can gain trust by empowering people. Now that doesn't necessarily mean you have to give them the keys to the executive washrooms (that's another topic). It can simply mean trusting them to do the right thing, keeping them in the loop, or noticing the things that they do.

Every once in awhile you need to sit back and reflect on your relationships. Here's a list of behaviors, from Motivating Employees by Bruce and Pepitone, that cause employees to lose trust:

• you say you'll empower them, but you find excuses not to,
• you deliberately instill fear and anxiety in them,
• you're manipulative,
• you fail to deliver on promises or you make empty promises,
• you inform the public about something before telling employees about it,
• you don't tell them what you expect from them,
• you give rewards that mean little or nothing to them,
• you're inaccessible and always behind closed doors,
• you delegate responsibility without authority.

Any of these sound familiar? If they do, it's time that you sit down and draft a new game plan. Give them what they need in order to do a good job and let them go at it.

Remember, I've said this before - most people don't quit their jobs, they quit their bosses.

Futurism

Well I'm baaaaack. I've been concentrating the last couple of weeks on the new job - and I love it. But it's time to get back to sharing my thoughts and "insights".

I can't remember what I was doing the other day when I saw the name Joel Barker. Wow. I hadn't heard that name in years. Barker wrote the book Paradigms: The Business of Discovering the Future. It's been one of my favorite books - and movies.

Barker is a futurist. He believes that paradigm shifts can happen at any time. And so do I. The thing is, if you look to the future, you may see them coming. This is where the futurist comes in with anticipation.

Too many managers lead with a reactionary skill. In his book, Barker discusses Peter Drucker's book Managing in Turbulent Times. He writes about the skills that a good manager needs and "suggests that one of the most important managerial skills during times of high turbulence (and anytime really) is anticipation."

Successful managers have always been strong problem-solvers. When a real problem occurs, they solve it. This is what they're paid for and this is what they concentrate on.

Drucker suggests that managers improve their skills in the area of anticipation and problem avoidance/opportunity identification. This is where you have the greatest leverage over the future - in business and in personal lives.

By looking ahead - anticipating - you'll dramatically improve your ability to deal with things before they happen, which in turn is going to give you more smooth sailing time. Sure, there are always going to be problems to solve. But by being a futurist and anticipating, you'll be able to head them off easier - or before they even happen.

Real Team-Building

How many times have you mentioned "team-building exercise" and seen eyes rolling and people heading for the door? That many? Without even knowing you I bet I can tell you why. It's because your exercises have nothing to do with any kind of relationship to your staff's jobs. A 250 pound man falling backwards for a 125 pound woman to catch is not going to help them at work.

When developing a program ask yourself what your real need is. Is it to actually build teamwork? Is it simply to improve morale? Is it to increase communication? Depending on your answer, the way you go about developing is going to be quite different.

If you're going to team-build, it has to be more than just a fun activity. It has to be something that will apply back at the workplace. Referencing a team-building book (there are tons of them out there) is great, but you still have to tweak it to your needs. Remember to be sure that you work in your organizations mission and values. This is the perfect opportunity to do so without the "here it comes again" attitudes. Team-building done correctly will leave them feeling more apart of the organization.

If your goal is to improve morale, by all means, go out and do something fun. Take everyone to a ballgame or go play laser-tag (very fun). Do something totally different.

If you're trying to increase communication, get that team-building book out. You'll find a lot of ideas in there where staff have to work together in order to get something accomplished, things where they have to talk with one another in order to get the job done. They'll get a sense of camaraderie and a better understanding of each other and how they think.

The whole idea with these three programs is to engage or reengage your staff. Nancy Mann Jackson summed it up best in a recent article in Entrepreneur magazine - "An engaged employee will stop and pick up a piece of trash in the hallway, a disengaged employee will walk by the piece of trash and leave it, and an actively disengaged employee will throw the trash on the floor." Which employee do you want?

You're Not Alone

If you could do everything as a manager, you'd be indispensable and probably make a lot more money. But guess what? You can't do everything. You're not alone. You didn't get to where you are by yourself.

For those of you who sit on that high horse, let me try to illustrate this to you. Most people think of the Blue Angels as a team of six shiny blue and gold F/A-18 Hornets and their pilots. They fly from air show to air show and thrill millions of people every year with their precision aerial moves. Well, that's only the tip of the iceberg. It takes a whole lot of people behind the scenes to make sure that those birds can fly.

In over 60 years, the "Blues" have never cancelled a show for maintenance reasons. Every person on the Blue Angels is dedicated to making sure that everything falls into place and everyone is safe. This is a true team. The pilots would not be up in the sky thrilling us all if they didn't have the support of the ground crew and support staff.

Teamwork isn't a part-time activity. Each member is representing the rest of the team at all times. That includes the team members at the "top". Managers and supervisors have to be just as much a part of the team as anyone else. Without that, you really don't have a team. You have a bunch of people working for the good of the boss.

Be apart of the team and develop your staff. This is how you accomplish things that others can't. Be upfront and of course, lead by example. You're the one molding the team. If you're a slouch, your team members will become slouches.

To succeed in management, you have to be able to accept responsibility and not hide behind desks. You don't lose the team player role when you move into that office. You become a motivating part of it.

Learning to Take Command

In Captain Michael Abrashoff's book, It's Your Ship, he discusses how taking command of USS Benfold required a change in his own leadership model. He found that time and age changes many things. In order to tackle these challenges, he researched exit surveys and interviews and found that the top reason people leave jobs was because of "not being treated with respect or dignity; the second was being prevented from making an impact on the organization; third, not being listened to; and fourth, not being rewarded with more responsibility". Low pay was way down in the fifth position.

In leadership or staff training, you really must look at your demographics in order to be effective. Organizations have very diversified age ranges these days, from Baby-Boomers to the Gen-Y'ers. These two groups, and all in between, have very different mindsets. Like it or not, you may have to adjust your own ways in order to be more effective. The old "my way or the highway" type of leading just isn't going to fly with the younger folks.

A good way to demonstrate the differences in the generations is to look at the way they compare work and life.

• Baby Boomers - view themselves and their career as one and the same
• Gen X - balance work and life; like flexible working hours and job sharing
• Gen Y - express themselves rather than define themselves through work

In the Gen X and Y'ers, we've lost the "company man" attitude and gained a more entrepreneurial, flexibility attitude. In order to create better unity, treat everyone, from your newest member to your most seasoned employee, as if they have great things to offer and are motivated to do their best. And of course, keep continuing training a priority so staff don't don't get stagnate in their jobs.

Training and Customer Retention

Good customer service doesn't necessarily come natural to some people. They need to have training and follow-up. Most organizations have some sort of customer service training but it's too often not enough. One basic class during orientation doesn't cut it. New staff are commonly overwhelmed with information already. Give them a little bit of time to get acquainted with their job and to see just how and where they fit in. They'll be able to adapt to their role in customer service a lot easier.

Don't leave training with the one class. Do follow-up in-service's, seminars, etc. Keep customer service at the forefront of your staff's minds. You don't need to (and don't want to) cram it down their throats. Just make sure that they at least know the basics, can use the basics, and be able to form some type of relationship with their customers. Customers should be treated like guests in their own house. Relationships are a key influence to holding on to customers, especially in service-oriented industries.

There are five basic standards for treating guests that you should be reviewing with staff:

• welcome them using their name,
• introduce yourself,
• take care of their needs,
• thank them, and
• invite them back.

Good customer service is that easy. You can include these standards in your training in many ways - video's, role-play, "how would you" questions, "pick the best way" scenarios, etc.

Markets, for any organization, are constantly changing so "people skills" become extremely important. Reminders in staff meetings or pre-operation meetings will go a long way. Focusing on this key area will not only give you a good ROI on training, but also show staff how important it actually is and where your priorities stand.

Competitive Customer Service

In my customer service classes I discuss the fact that some organizations (like mine) and their competition do things so similarly that the only way to distinguish themselves as the better organization is through superior customer service. The quality of employees and services are the only distinctions between organizations that provide the same or similar service.

I read a great example of this in the book Blue Streak, by Barbara S. Peterson. In beginning the discussion about JetBlue U (university), the trainer for the flight attendants comes in the first day still upset about the JetBlue flight he had had the prior day. One of the attendants on his flight seemed like he was "not really there" for various reasons. [I'm making a long story short here] The attendant didn't do anything bad and wasn't rude. But this is exactly why people want to work - and fly - at JetBlue. "The sort of indifferent service that one would take for granted on another (most) airline would gain you some very unwelcome attention" at JetBlue.

JetBlue does the same "job" as many other airlines. They fly people from point A to point B. But if you talk about customer service within the airline industry, who's name is at the top (along with Southwest)? JetBlue.

Be the paradigm shift. So many organizations can benefit from this kind of thinking. Why was Disneyland successful so quickly? One of the reasons was in a paradigm shift of what amusement parks were like. When Walt started Disneyland his wife would ask him, "But why do you want to build an amusement park? They're so dirty." To this he replied that, "mine wouldn't be".

Don't bank on, "this is the way it's done everywhere else". That will just make you look like "everyone else". Train from the start to be the best of the best.

Ethics

I recently read someplace that today's society tolerates too much questionable activity, whether it be by our kids, businesses or managers. I got to thinking about it and I'm not quite sure I agree. Do kids today really think that cheating or stealing is okay? Do businesses and managers really think it's okay to cheat and steal?

I think basic misbehavior is considered just as wrong today as it ever was. People are just coming up with more creative ways to try to get away with things (ahem-Madoff) and others are just stupid (ahem-AIG). Society doesn't accept these ways, but people are still going to try, and try hard they do.

Laws don't always require us to do the right thing. This is where ethics has to take over. Ethics are standards of conduct that we "ought" to follow. Good ethics in business is akin to good sportsmanship in athletics. We are to play by the rules, be fair, and be a good sportsman. The rulebook doesn't always tell us specifically what we can or can't do, but yet we know. Ethics guides us in those situations.

As a supervisor/manager, we have a responsibility to promote ethical behavior - and take action when unethical behavior is suspected. We have a duty to:

• set a good example,
• ensure others act according to laws, values, and policies,
• make sure your staff have the resources to do the right thing,
• enforce standards and policies,
• report noncompliance,
• never retaliate or permit retaliation against "whistle blowers".

You can pretty much sum this all up with the phrase, "do the right thing". If it doesn't seem right - it probably isn't.

Communicate

Com-mu-ni-cate: to share: to convey knowledge of or information about: make known.

Sounds easy. Then why don't more supervisors do it? Nancy K. Austin, a Management Consultant said, "Employees deserve to know what's up and will handle the responsibility better than you imagine." Share.

Staff at all levels of the organization should be considered links in communication. Appropriate information should be freely passed up and down the chain. The key is that it's done quickly, not just by work of mouth. You can't just tell one or two people something and expect that the "grapevine" do the rest. Staff that are kept informed are motivated because the feel like they're involved and a part of the big picture.

Here's a good example of how communication makes a big difference. The book "1001 Ways to Energize Employees" discusses the manager of a Holiday Inn that had a low occupancy rate of 67% - not too good. He decided to communicate the hotel's occupancy rate to all staff every day. Within 18 months, the rate had climbed to 85%, and staff were literally falling over themselves to greet customers, carry guests' bags, and generally be helpful and friendly. Without a doubt, staff who are "in the loop" are staff who are an energized and vital part of the organization.

The word communicate is a verb. There is an action associated with it. Communication is not just something that happens - you have to make it happen.

Field Suggestions

As I've discussed before, the best place to find out how things are really done is the field - your front-line staff. They're the SMEs. Books and manuals are the basis of how a job is done, but experience tops it off.

If you really want to effectively improve a process or business, you've got to get input from the people who actually do it. Be open to suggestions - gasp - yes, suggestions from your line-staff. Just because you're a manager doesn't necessarily mean you're an expert.

You need to encourage staff to make suggestions that can make improvements on anything from customer service to process flow to product marketing. The key word here is "encourage". Just mounting a suggestion box on a wall is not enough. It doesn't matter how small or insignificant of an idea someone has - encourage it. The smallest idea can become the biggest improvement.

Don't forget to respond to your staffs' suggestions. Respond quickly. The longer it takes, the more they feel as if it's just a canned response. Especially if it's something that you're not going to implement. Acknowledge the time they put in to develop the idea and to write it up for submission.

And by all means, let the group or the whole know that suggestions are being considered and implemented. Publicly acknowledge the staff who make suggestions and the changes that come from them. Once staff see/hear this, you'll start to get more suggestions (that's a good thing), and more thought-out suggestions. Staff will definitely begin to feel more valued, appreciated, and motivated.

Negativity Is Not In Your Job Description

Negativity breeds negativity. Sometimes you need to remind your team (leaders and employees) that negativity is not in the job description.

As a leader, when you walk through the door, you're on stage. Your every move is being watched and imitated by your employees. Therefore, you must be consistent and predictable in how you interact with your employees and how you deal with life’s (organization) challenges.

Your attitude is the foundation for your employees’ attitude. If you come in to work smiling, optimistic and approachable, then it's easier to expect a positive work day. If you come to work with a scowl on your face, are angry or have a "don't talk to me until I've had my coffee" attitude, you can expect to be working in a negative work environment - and have no one to blame but yourself.

In addition to watching yourself, moderate the flow of gossip. If you notice rumors being circulated among your employees, verify them from the source. Despite what people may think, work is not the place to gossip. And besides, most gossip is just plain made up. It creates animosity, tension, and ill-will. When dealing with the gossiper, call their bluff! Invite them to join you in confronting the other individuals that are being gossiped about. Chances are, that will be the end.

If employees are allowed this negativity for too long, it becomes habitual and they can't stop. It becomes who they are. You'll begin to realize that every time you come in contact with these people, you'll be hearing complaints. Negativity will spread like a disease. Negativity breeds negativity.

What you send out is what you get back. Everyone is in control of their own/your own attitude - it's sometimes one of the only things you can control at work.

To Do Lists

A few months back I saw writer Larry Winget for the first time on FoxBusiness's Happy Hour. I was immediately intrigued by his attitude towards business life. He writes/talks about business in a straight forward, to the point manner. He "tells the truth and doesn't give a damn if you like it or not". Yesterday I started reading his book "It's Called Work for a Reason". I found a fantastic idea in the first few pages.

In his book Winget suggests that you get rid of your "Things to Do" list and replace it with a "Things That Have to Get Done" list. How many times have you taken time to make a "to do" list and only partially gotten any of it actually completed? Herein lies the problem. According to Winget, your "to do" list is nothing more than a wish list. "Your "Things That Have to Get Done" list is more focused and concise, and acts as an action plan for your day." It has a more psychological effect.

Lists that you make up of things that you need to accomplish are part of your time management. By making a list you hope to be able to accomplish more. But if you're constantly only getting bits and pieces done, you're not really accomplishing anything.

It's time consuming to manage time. Winget says that "Everyone should forget about managing time and should instead focus on managing priorities. When the right things get done, time takes care of itself". Focus on what has to get done, not what should get done or would be nice to get done.

Roy Disney once said, "When priorities are clear, decision making is easy." Set the right priorities and everything else follows.

Follow-Through

I read a quote in a recent American Management Association (AMA) publication that hit my funny bone. Not only because it was comical but also so true - "After spending so much money on organizational change programs and leadership development, why do I always end up with Dilbert and re-runs of The Office?" Sound familiar?

The issue, a lot of times, is that we come up with a "theory of the month" on why things are the way they are. We quickly put our resources together to come up with a training "program" on coaching, or diversity, or motivation techniques. The problem is that in order to be a "program" there has to be follow-on training, follow-up, and follow-through. Like throwing a football or hitting a tennis ball, you can't be effective without follow-through. You can't hold one class or seminar and expect people to "get it". Sure it may be all great at first, but doesn't it usually die a slow, or often fast, death?

A good example is the Rockhurst or Padgett seminars. They're good seminars to attend and give you some great tools. But without someone back at the ranch to help you keep those ideas going, they normally die off very quickly.

Another good example (my soapbox again) is orientation classes. For the most part, they're worthless. New staff get thrown into these classes, told to read a bunch of stuff, and take a test. Then that's the last they hear about the origins of the organization, the vision, the mission, and how their job impacts the rest of the organization. What's been accomplished? Next to nothing.

Point is, you need to follow-up and follow-through if you want programs of any type to continue.

Ask What YOU Have Done

I bet I can describe one of the top leaders of the world and you won't be able to guess who it is. Okay, here goes - he runs an organization that you know of but you've never seen. He runs his own manufacturing, packaging, AND distribution companies. His many employees are among the happiest in the world. He doesn't sell any products, yet he continues to stay in business. Any guess yet? 100% of distribution is completed in one night. He's a very jolly individual - his belly even shakes like a bowl full of jelly. Yes, it's Santa Claus.

As "magical" as Santa may be, he still has to possess great leadership skills to get everything accomplished. Employees (elves) must be kept happy. In order to do this Santa must continuously monitor progress through self-evaluation. There are a few questions he asks of himself to ensure that he's keeping a focus on his most valuable asset - no, not reindeer - his employees. Santa asks himself - "In the last several months, what have I done to . . .

• Be accessible (physically and mentally) to employees who would like my attention?
• Be considerate of staff-member needs?
• Provide employees with the training, tools, resources, and feedback required for success?
• Keep employees in the "what's happening" information loop?
• Help team members maintain an appropriate balance between their professional and personal lives?
• Demonstrate respect for employees' time and talents . . . as well as respect for them as individuals?
• Solicit, and listen to, staff-member ideas and concerns?
• Help everyone develop and grow?
• Fairly distribute the work and workload?"

It doesn't take a lot of extra effort to be a caring leader. There's no extra costs to ask yourself a few questions. It doesn't take but a few minutes. But what you'll get is more time since you'll have more dedicated and motivated employees - you won't have so many problems to deal with.

For more information on Santa's leadership skills check out the book, "The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus" at www.walkthetalk.com.

Bailout DeMotivation

I imagine everyone knows about the Wallstreet, etc Bailout, by now. All of those companies getting bailout money should be somewhat motivational for employees. You work for a company that's falling in the market and jobs are looking more and more endangered. Uncle Sam comes along and gives you money to pull your bootstraps up. Should be kind of motivating right? Here's all of this money to get your company moving, lending, and prospering again. Great. You can rest a little easier.

Then you have companies like Citigroup who gets $45 billion of taxpayer money (part of which comes from the employees of the company) who turns around and lays off 75,000 workers and completes their purchase of a $50 million company luxury jet. Hello!!!! How can anyone at Citigroup interpret that as motivating? It's de-motivating, reducing dedication, productivity and customer service.

Yesterday on Fox Business Happy Hour, I heard a Senator talking about how these large companies should be able to keep their jets because otherwise the people who fly and service them, etc will be loosing jobs - including people who manufacture them. Hello again!!! This Citigroup jet was built in FRANCE. The last time I checked, France was not in The U.S. of A.

C'mon guys, lets take some responsibility and stop the expensive jets, the $1.2 million office makeovers, and the pre-bailout bonuses and start thinking about your employees.

What Is A Leader?

What is a leader? A question that can bring a miriade of answers. But in this forum, you're going to get mine. A leader is someone who influences others lives. A leader can help you grow by exploring new capabilities and strengths. A leader builds people.

One of the jobs of a leader is to be a guide - guide teams from formation through operation. For that, he/she also must be a mentor and facilitator. You must understand that learning never ends. We are always building and strengthening our knowledge. As a leader you have to be constantly alert to any opportunity you have to do so.

To be an excellent leader means you have the ability to "read" people. How do people react differently to various situations? The ability to be flexible helps you in dealing with and relating to people. We're not all the same - other people won't want the same type of response that you might.

In John Maxwell's book Developing the Leader Within You, he lists seven "deadly sins" that excellent leaders avoid:

• trying to be liked rather than respected,


• not asking team members for advice and help,


• thwarting personal talent by emphasizing rules rather than skills,


• not keeping criticism constructive,


• not developing a sense of responsibility in team members,


• treating everyone the same way, and


• failing to keep people informed.

Integrity, vision, optimism, responsibility, motivation, and communication. That's what makes a successful leader.

The Habit of Excellence

With my holiday break over now, it's time to get back into the swing of things. Sometimes that's difficult to do unless you have some good habits. Excellence, for instance.

Aristotle said, "We are what we repeatedly do . . . excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit". You must practice at being "excellent". Practice at obtaining knowledge. Know that you need to constantly increase your understanding of what, how, and why something needs to be done. All of this will lead to new or improved skill sets which with repetition translates into habits. Those habits then translate into excellence.

As an example of how this works, think about learning a new language. Learning a language in a class is good, but it's limited. What happens when you go to visit the country or even live there. How far do you think the classroom instruction is going to get you? Sure you'll be able to ask for a taxi or where the bathroom is, but that will only get you so far. Fact is, you'll have a lot more learning and practice to do in order for it to become an involuntary "habit" - before you become an excellent linguist and able to hold a meaningful conversation.

Put these types of habit forming applications to work in your organization and see how much further you go. You'll be surprised. It will not only benefit you, but also your team and your organization. The habit of excellence brings with it a better attitude, higher levels of commitment, and a better chance for advancement and responsibility. You can't wait for excellence to come to you or be given to you - you have to go after it.