Jumpstart World Class Performance

“Perfection is unattainable, but if we chase it, we can catch excellence.”

Vince Lombardi

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about World Class performance.

World Class. . . to be one of the best in world. 

World Class performance is a mindset. . .  an attitude. . .  a lifestyle. . . an allergic opposition to mediocrity.  Good enough never is.

World  Class strives for perfection – excellence will be tolerated.  World Class is a day-to-day commitment to continually create repeated memorable exceptional experiences.  Exceptional, World Class customer experiences are the result of flawlessly executing a meticulous service mentality.

A fundamental question for your team is this:  "What would happen if we didn't provide the excellent service we provide?  Would we be missed?  Would others easily take our place?  Are we irreplaceable?  Would people wonder what to do without us?” 

If you’re not memorable, you’re replaceable!

World Class Performance Strategies to make you memorable:

It's not the work we do but HOW we do the work that creates a World Class "WOW" experience.

Keep in mind that extraordinary becomes ordinary when the extraordinary becomes the ordinary way of doing things.  What’s marvelous today becomes ordinary tomorrow.  So, how do we create a “WOW” factor in everything we do?

Steve Martin was once asked, “How can I become as well-known as you are as a comedian?”

Martin responded:  “Become so good at what you do that people cannot ignore you.”  That is how you create a continual ‘WOW’ experience.  Others may do what you do but how can you do it in a way no one else is doing it?

The musical group Bananarama sings a song entitled, It Ain’t What You Do It’s The Way That You Do It.

Here are the lyrics:  “It ain’t what you do it’s the way that you do it.  It ain’t what you do it’s the way that you do it.  It ain’t what you do but the way that you do it.  And that’s what gets results.” 

You get the message.  Be the only one who can do what you do the way you do it.

How and who will you create a ‘WOW’ today doing what you do the way you do it?

It’s not what you think.  It’s not what you think they think.  It’s what they think that matters.

Being a World Class organization is more about perception than procedure.

It’s not about what you think is important to do or give, it’s about what the people we serve want to receive or experience that really matters.  If customers don’t want it, even though you want to give it, exceptional service doesn’t occur. . .  in the customer’s eyes. 

When people remember little, about the service they receive, they are generally satisfied.  Loyalty, fabulous satisfaction, delight is generated by doing memorable things people don’t expect. . . but is exceptional in their eyes.  World Class is all about being consistently exceptional in everything you do.

How?  Treat others the way they don’t even know they want to be treated by anticipating and exceeding their expectations.  Tough task.  Fabulous outcomes!

Fix problems, embrace challenges and originate ways to delight, surprise, and bring pleasure to the customer.  Personalize the experience and make every moment of interaction memorable.

Nothing changes in life without changing two things:  the way we think and the way we act.

The first step to becoming World Class is to immediately stop allowing good enough, mediocre or fair to be acceptable.

If you want to be extraordinary, stop being ordinary. . .

If you want to be uncommon, quit being common. . .

If you want to be remarkable, quit being predicable. . .

If you want to be World Class, quit being normal.

It is common knowledge that the longer you’ve been doing what you’re doing, the harder it is to change the way you think about what you do.  Why is this so important?  Because, what got us where we are won’t get us where we want to go. . . unless we are satisfied with just being who we’ve always been.

It is this simple:   If you want to live at a higher level, you need to think at a higher level.  Think about this --- what is an unthinkable thing to do right now in your job but if you were to do it, the quality of what you do would certainly be positively impacted?

Thinking about excellence will stimulate excellence.  Focusing on exceptional will arouse exceptional.  Acting World Class will generate World Class.

The more you think it, the more you say it, the more you do it --- the greater chance World Class has to happen.

Do not tolerate anything less than consistent excellence.

IBM founder, Thomas Watson observed:  “If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today.  As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.”

Remember, what got us where we are won’t get us where we want to go.  It takes a little bit more. . . every day.  Nothing less than excellence will do.

Be ready to serve today in a way that exceeds yesterday’s performance.  Make every first impression impressive and every last contact unforgettable.  Ask:  “Is there anything I can do for you?” – with a sincere serving spirit.

To be an exceptional organization, do things so well that every contact is memorable.  When the minimum expectation is to exceed expectations, you’ll begin to touch World Class.

Challenge people (and yourself) to generate innovative ways to exceed expectations and shatter the acceptance of doing what we always do because that’s what we’ve always done.

Continually focus on surpassing what normal organizations do.  Be original.  Create a ‘WOW’ factor in everything you do.  Declare excellence. . . and deliver.

“You don’t want to be considered the ‘best of the best.’  You want to be considered the only one who can do what you do.”

Jerry Garcia

Musician/Philosopher