“Excellence"

“Excellence"
By Tommy Franks

Excellence is caring more…than others care. It is doing more than others do. It is producing quality more…than the average. It is taking a risk that may NOT be safe or wise to the ordinary person or to the mediocre. It is continuing to dream and placing goals along the way that may seem impractical to others, but will assure you of victory and a win/win situation. Excellence is expecting more out of life than many ever dream possible.

Finally, it is getting off of our seats and making it happen. Excellence is the opposite of: Average, Mediocre, Ordinary, Normal, Standard, Par, Commonplace, Run-of-the-Mill, Inferior, Second Place, second-class, nondescript, Forgettable, Not bad, middle-of-the-road, fair-to-middling, Regular, Unimpressive, Moderate, and Unimportant. Service and excellence go to together like a horse and carriage!

Service is the lifeblood of any organization. Everything should flow from it and be nourished by it. Customer service is not a department...it's an attitude. When we find true service today, it is a rarity and so infrequent. Sometimes, we as the customer are treated in such a manner that we sometimes feel as if we have just inconvenienced the clerk, cashier, proprietor, owner, salesman, or rude individual. This is why that 85% of all new businesses fail! However, on rare occasions, I do receive prompt and professional service. When this happens, it startles me. Therefore, I say things like…'Thank you. This is wonderful. You have made my day.' And if it is a waiter/waitress, I show it by separating myself from some of my greenbacks!"

The following "roots of character" were written by an anonymous Native American: "Those who preserve their integrity remain unshaken by the storms of daily life. They do not stir like leaves on a tree or follow the herd where it runs. In their mind remains the ideal attitude and conduct of living, this is not something given to them by others. It is their roots ... it is a strength that exists deep within them."

"If you're not riding the wave of change... you'll find yourself beneath it." "If you chase two rabbits, both will escape."

We MUST have the Courage to Succeed. WHO SAID THE FOLLOWING? "The sea is dangerous and its storms terrible, but these obstacles have never been sufficient reason to remain ashore...unlike the mediocre, intrepid spirits who seek victory over those things that seem impossible...it is with an 'iron will' that they embark on the most daring of all endeavors...to meet the shadowy future without fear and then conquer the unknown."

WHO SAID IT AND WHEN? Give up? Time: 1520 AD. Place: A thousand miles Off Shore. Who: Ferdinand Magellan (Explorer).