In Search of Excellence...Lessons From a Business Classic...

Tom Peter's best-selling book In Search of Excellence is considered one of the most influential business books of all times. It is among the gold standards in business book lore. In it, he mentions eight basic principles that will lead you to the pinnacle of your industry. I'd like to share them with you and have you check in with yourself and your business and ask yourself: Am I providing high levels of excellence in these areas and, if not, what can I do to get there?

1. A bias for action: a preference for doing something - anything - rather than sending a question through cycles and cycles of analyses and committee reports. In other words, are you paralyzed by analysis? Are you letting opportunities pass you by hesitating too much. Be decisive. Take action. Don't be foolish or hazardous with your money, but fence sitting on a decision will never get you anything but a sore butt!! You're thinking about doing something with your marketing strategy right now...make the decision either way, take action and move on!
2. Staying close to the customer - learning his preferences and catering to them. We're all about this aren't we? In the health-care arena, it's been established that Chiropractors have the highest rankings in customer service. But that's not good enough! Service breeds loyalty which breeds referrals.
3. Autonomy and entrepreneurship - breaking the corporation into small companies and encouraging them to think independently and competitively. You may not have a business big enough to have different people, but you certainly have the departments. What are you doing with your staff? How are you inspiring them to serve more? Do your systems run flawlessly? Do you need more training? Does your technical expertise need enhancement? Is your marketing strategy planned at least 12-months in advance? Are your financial operations up to snuff? Collections at least 85% of billing? What metrics are you using to gauge future growth and needs? And as the leader are you orchestrating all of these things into a beautiful symphony or does it sound like Roseanne Barr singing The Star Spangled Banner?
4. Productivity through people - creating in all employees the awareness that their best efforts are essential and that they will share in the rewards of the company's success. Are you providing incentive packages to your employees based on performance? Do they get rewarded for their hard work in any way? Are you inspiring them consistently? Taking them to seminars? You know you've done a great job inspiring them in Chiropractic when they leave you to go to Chiropractic school...are you at that level with them?
5. Hands-on, value driven - insisting that executives keep in touch with the firm's essential business. No brainer, right? Watch those distractions though...anything not aligned with your vision and mission should be discarded.
6. Stick to the knitting - remaining with the business the company knows best. See above and remember the Hedgehog Concept? Keep it simple with fanatical adherence to your hedgehog concept.
7. Simple form, lean staff - few administrative layers, few people at the upper levels. Not as applicable in the small business arena, but it reminds us to be simple. Get rid of the bureaucracy and the time consuming tasks.
   
8. Simultaneous loose-tight properties - fostering a climate where there is dedication to the central values of the company combined with tolerance for all employees who accept those values. Is everyone on board with you and your vision? Have you completely explained the vision you have as well as your expectations for your employees to help you make that vision a reality? Unclear expectations are one of the major reasons why people leave...they hardly ever leave the company...they leave the manager.

There you have it...getting these eight core strategies to levels of excellence will ensure you a long and sustained career of success and significance...