I don’t know about you, but I am captivated, when I experience true excellence.
In two areas in particular – craftsmanship and management – I believe they have many things in common.
On Excellent Craftsmanship
My neighbour is a violin builder. He has some weird and wonderful tools, some very intricate. But there is more to his excellent craftsmanship than just the tools. It is how he applies the tools and how he makes choices in the process. Fundamentally, it is his mindset – a mindset for continuous improvement. His choices are determined by his knowledge of the quality of the wood, its density, and how hydrated it is. He also has a well-developed and sensitive hearing. Further, he understands exactly what it takes to shape the body of the violin to capture the vibrations from the strings to produce pure and rich tones. All things that you can study, but not learn from a book. Skills you can acquire, but not truly excel in, except with applied and consistent passion, through attention to detail and not least through practice, practice, and practice. Along the way, you develop a certain style – unique to you.
The Path to Professional Leadership Excellence
Through practice, you gain experience. This takes time and there are few shortcuts towards true professional leadership excellence. In businesses and corporations, results matter. The faster, the better. So, do you then make the time to practice – to hone your professional leadership excellence?
Lessons from “In Search of Excellence”
35 years ago, Peters and Waterman wrote “In Search of Excellence” seeking to identify the characteristics of great leaders and great corporations, focusing on excellence as the foundation for sustainable leadership. The book identified 8 themes which can be boiled down to “Customers – People – The Action in between”. When you take the time to excel in those areas, you stand a good chance of being a great manager and running a successful business.
Adapting to Modern Leadership Challenges
Since then, the challenges of leadership and management have changed, as any organisation now operates in a world of exponentially accelerating change and increased complexity. Yet Peters has remained focused on his commitment to excellence in his recent book “The Excellence Dividend”. He offers new and inspirational insights into the recipe for excellence “Customers – People – and the Action in between”.
Craftsmanship and Management: A Comparison
“Can you compare building a top-class violin, perhaps even a new Stradivarius, with managing a team or leading a business?” I hear you ask.
In my opinion, the answer is “Yes, you can. And excellent managers also develop their own individual style of management excellence.”
Recognizing Management and Business Excellence
Whether you are a shareholder, a customer, or an employee, you know you have found management and business excellence when it looks pleasing, sounds sublime, feels superb, and makes the world a better place, too – in addition to generating a surplus on the bottom line. You have chosen the right place.
Recognizing Management The Right Place for Excellence and Business Excellence
The right place for excellence: – an organisation or a company with great management, teams, processes, and products. Or – you may be listening to an exceptionally well-crafted violin, an instrument in the hands of a world-class musician, playing a beautiful piece of music.
Ensuring Your Personal Leadership Excellence
How do you ensure that your individual leadership excellence is music to the ears of your team?
Read more in this blog post Strategic Mindset vs Thought Leadership
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