Leadership
Creating a High Performance Culture of Excellence
By Christine Corelli
Dec 4, 2003 - 12:40:00 PM

Regardless of the size of your organization, establishing a "Culture of Excellence" is vital to your success. Here's how it looks:

Business Excellence Occurs When¡¦lt;

-Teamwork exists throughout the company ¡¦"Territorialism" does not exist
-the CEO, President, and all upper level executives communicate and support business excellence
-Outstanding service is provided both internally and externally
-Creativity is encouraged and opportunities for creative thinking are consistent
-Open Communication is practiced: Freedom to voice opinions, share ideas, and make decisions
-Discipline is exhibited by all
-Workforce consists of high performing, dedicated people who keep constant eye on goals /set higher goals
-There is a commitment to quality, providing outstanding service, continuous on-going education, and improvement of processes
-Bureaucracy not completely eliminated, but reduction of unnecessary red tape is continuously sought
-There is a simple and consistent system of checks and balances, guidelines, guiding principles, performance standards, and appraisals ¡¦("Keep in Simple. Even GOD Created Only Ten Commandments.")
-Fairness, integrity, and caring is consistently demonstrated by all

Dynamics That Help Drive an Organization BEYOND Excellence

-Desire to be one of the best companies in the world
-Values are practiced and demonstrated by all
-Employees recognize and passionately believe in the -Culture fosters employee empowerment and involvement
-Excellence is viewed not as a destination, rather a continuous journey
-Excellence is pursued for its own sake. You simply can't imagine doing it any other way.
-People are solution-focused
-High level of employee engagement (Watch for our upcoming issue on Employee Engagement)
-Perpetual innovation in products, services, the way you think and the way you lead
-Goals are set for both leaders and employees that measure adherence to employee satisfaction, customer service and effective leadership
-There is consistent learning from the Test Practices¡¦of top performing companies but you discover your own best practices and build on them
-Dynamic leadership is displayed and continuously reinforced
-Everyone who has customer contact is in sales regardless of their job role.
-Individuals in all roles look for every opportunity to help the sales force / business development group
-All individuals are committed to exhibiting behaviors that help retain customers and breed customer loyalty
-All individuals recognize they are "ambassadors" who must project a positive image of their company
-Every effort to exceed expectations is made.
-People work together as a team with a shared vision for a common goal for the betterment of their company
-People take ownership for their role, strive to find new ways to be better contributors
-Individuals answer not only to management but also to each other for their attitude and performance
-All employees have a global perspective, understand, and accept what is happening in the economy, and their industry, and that it requires that they must pull together and deliver their best to help ensure a better future for themselves and their company.

Christine Corelli

Christine Corelli is an international business speaker who speaks from EXPERIENCE, not textbook theory, and is the author of "Wake Up and Smell the Competition - They're Closer Than You Think" - How to Compete and Win in Today's Real World" . www.christinespeaks.com

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