Leverage on leadership

Where I work we usually have an annual retreat for staff. We go out of town to unwind and reflect. On one staff retreat we were reflecting on our organizational values. Excellence is one of our core values and it seems to be a very popular one with many companies although seldom lived out.

We defined excellence as pouring everything into a task and achieving the highest possible result. As I sat there doodling on my notebook. I wondered whether I do things excellently. Generally I will stop at the highest acceptable standards and not seek the highest result I could achieve.

The measure for excellence is not whether a task is done well rather, whether you have given it your all. Do you do your best? It’s possible to give a million shillings and still be a miser. It’s possible to do something excellently in the eyes of others but not give it your best. To perform at high levels of excellence you need to have a very strong motivation to do so, usually more than money. Why strive to be excellent?

Excellence brings out the best in us-Doing things excellently will help you unleash your potential. It will help you appreciate the abilities you posses and bring out the best in your. Unless you push yourself how will you know how far you can go?

Being excellent is our gift to others Think of the contribution Steve Jobs made in the technology world because of his obsession with excellence. We all want to receive the best service and excellent products. So why should we offer mediocre service and products to other people?

To get a sense of fulfillment and pride in ones work It brings great fulfillment and pride to look back at a job well done. It’s very fulfilling to enjoy your work knowing that you gave it your all.

To build a culture of doing things excellently,we must value what we do.No matter how minuscule, repetitive and tedious our work may seem we must value it. We must see it as a valuable service to humanity. You need to see the bigger picture of how your job contributes to your personal goals and those of your organization. For you to be excellent in your work you must see it as important, meaningful and valuable.

We must develop an internal motivation to do things.I believe there is a direct correlation between excellence and high self motivation. The highest level of motivation is internal. Money and other external motivators will only motivate you in the short term. For you to be fully devoted, fully committed and excellent in all you do, you have to be internally motivated.

We must be Passionate and love what we do.If you don’t enjoy what you do , how then will you go the extra mile to become excellent in your work. You can’t be passionate about everything but when your passion and work align then excellence will come

We must make excellence a habit. Finally doing things excellently must become a habit and a lifestyle. It’s not enough for you to do one thing well. You must become proactive and seek to me excellent in all things even in the small things like shining your shoes.

It may seem obvious but most people don’t think there 100% responsible for their life and success. It’s very audacious to say, “It’s up to me to decide how much money I will make next year”. Most people are afraid of taking full responsibility over their lives and believe they have little control over most of what happens in their life.

Two things came to mind when I think of taking 100% responsibility over my life:-

• First, if I am 100% responsible for my life then where does that leave God or fate?  Is there a God factor or luck factor in success that has nothing to do with me?
•  Secondly, what about the things that happen to me that I have no control over ? I’m I still responsible in such situations?

Regardless of how you answer these questions, we are ultimately answerable for our lives. We may have no control over a sudden paralyzing accident and the impact this has on us. However, we do have control on how we respond.To that extent we are responsible.

We are responsible for our  lives, our success, our weight, our careers, our spiritual growth, our relationships. If you are going to be successful it will depend with you.

Success in anything does not come by chance. Your kids will not just turn out great; you will have to actively parent them.   Here is why I think it’s important to take charge of your life:-

To change your situation Whatever it is you don’t like in your life, could be your career or your neighborhood whatever it is. As long as you believe that you’re not fully responsible for your situation then you will always have a scapegoat to blame and excuse your luck of action.

To make things happen for you For you to achieve your personal goals and live out your  dreams you must take full responsibility of over your  life. You will not stumble into success and nobody will hand it over to you. Your people skills will not just become great. Your leadership skills will not just develop. You must  make it happen.

To stop the excuses- We give too much power to circumstances and love to be fatalistic. There will always be  reasons why you can’t achieve your dreams. You can either seat there giving excuses or you can take charge and begin to change your life.

So how do I begin to take responsibility over my life?

Deal with the past -You have to accept responsibility for  where you are today. You may not like the situation you are in but, you  must accept responsibility. You may be in debt, whatever it is you are in, accept responsibility, forgive yourself and begin to take charge.

Begin to believe that you’re fully responsible for your own success and life Again as long as you believe that your situation is as a result of some external factor out of your control. You will tend to play victim and do nothing to change your life.You must believe that your responsible for your success.

Stop the blame game Stop blaming circumstances and people for the situation you’re in.