Towards Excellence

Those of us who seek excellence know that what we do makes a difference.

A difference not only for ourselves, but also for those we serve as well.

Not only for those we serve as business people, but for those we serve in our personal and family lives too.

In the speaking industry we communicate valuable information and we make a difference. If we do our jobs properly, we provide food for thought, philosophies and viewpoints intended to make a positive difference on the lives of those we touch. This helps individuals to improve their lives and to thrive in their businesses and so, in turn provides food, clothing and shelter for their families, their employees and colleagues. This interesting chain reaction I believe to be very real. With that in mind, consider the urgency in striving to be excellent at what we do in business.

When I was a young man (some time around two thirds of the way through the last century!) I accepted a position as soloist in a choir with performances scheduled for the holidays. Shortly after rehearsals began, I came to realize that I couldn’t stand the choir leader. Rehearsals were tortuous to me. I had to quit. That evening I discussed this with my father, who, after listening to everything I had to say, offered the following, “You gave your word to this man that you’d sing in his choir. Your word should be precious; it’s all you can give. If others cannot rely on your word than you’ve got nothing. You don’t have to agree to sing again next season, but you gave your word for this season.” He didn’t tell me what to do next, he just left me to ponder that advice. I stuck it out for that season and did my very best (which was another promise I made when I accepted the job)

That one piece of advice from my Dad has shaped most of the decisions I’ve made in my life and continually pushes me towards excellence.

When I assure a client or prospect that we will provide an outstanding, customized presentation, I’ve given my word and I do not take that lightly. Do you? What steps do you take to make sure that you can consistently make that customer happy in all aspects of dealing with you and your company? When you tell a customer or prospect how very creative and valuable you will be, are you prepared to put in the time, do the research and make every effort to be extraordinary in your creative productivity or do you simply add a few industry buzz words to your stock program? When a problem arises do you call the client and advise him or her and then wait to see what happens and hope for the best (after all maybe the problem is not your fault)? Or, do you push everything else aside for the moment to dig in and scratch and claw to make sure the problem is resolved without even advising

If offering outstanding customer service means hiring additional staff or putting in extra hours, are you willing to do that after you’ve given your word to do so? When clients or prospects put their faith and trust in you to be especially outstanding for that next session, do you keep in mind the potential for their successes, as well as the impact and importance of the program you create for those clients?

You see, had I quit the choir at that time, the choirmaster might not have been able to find another suitable soloist. The choirmaster, other choir members and the audience would have been negatively impacted.

When we give our word and others accept that, be they clients, family or friends, those people are counting on us and if we cannot be counted on to keep our word, what are we?

As I write this article, it is just several months since my father died. He knew the impact this lesson has had on my life and he’d be glad to know that I’ve shared it with all of you. Take it to heart, use it wisely and it will propel you towards excellence.

By Barry Roberts