In the late 1980s, a movie was made featuring two of the biggest stars of cinema at that time, Paul Newman and Tom Cruise, called The Color of Money. It was about a young, up-and-coming pool hustler and the legendary older pool hustler, Fast Eddie Felton, played by Paul Newman. At one point in the film, Newman attempts to explain that “excellent pool” is not necessarily the same as” pool excellence.” Excellent pool can happen on occasion, but pool excellence is about maintaining high standards all the time.
The same can be said for numerous occupations and environments. Does your customer service department provide excellent service, or did they serve the customer excellently? The second is again a single experience, while the first is the standard that your department operates all the time.
Creating standards within your organization clarifies expectations, which helps people understand what is expected and how their performance will be evaluated. Standards help develop consistency and accountability, which are essential components of building trust and creating a culture of excellence, respect, and high performance. The United States Military Academy, West Point, holds the cadets to the highest of standards. Some of our most outstanding military leaders, such as Generals Dwight Eisenhower, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Douglas MacArthur, and George S. Patton, graduated from West Point. I bring this up to emphasize that our standards not only reflect our value system but also reflect our leadership. Both Eisenhower and Grant became Presidents of the United States.
If you are the owner of a company or the leader of an organization, developing standards to improve your operations and create a transparent method for evaluating talent is essential. Creating a “High Performance Championship Culture” begins and ends with everyone buying into the purpose and vision of your organization.
To learn more about developing a culture based on high performance and clearly defined standards, either purchase my book, “The Bucketlist Coach: How to Create a High Performance Championship Culture in Your Business,” or schedule a complimentary chat with me on my website.
As always, RollTide and bring the best version of you every day!
Joe (JM) Fields
The Bucketlist Coach