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Set the Standard Every Day
Set the Standard Every Day
When Lance Armstrong scored his record seventh win of the Tour de France this summer, sports writers around the world observed that he had set a new standard for future generations of bicycle racers to follow. What exactly does it mean to set a new standard? It is an interesting question to explore.
One thing is certain. To be a standard-setter is an honor that not many people achieve. When Enzo Ferrari built the first 12-cylinder race cars half a century ago, he set a performance standard that had other racing teams struggling to keep up. When Arthur Rubinstein played the piano works of Chopin, he set a standard that an entire generation of pianists has been trying to equal. And at Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos has set standards that other Internet retailers will be hard-pressed to match.
I could continue adding names to that list of standard-setters, but you get the point. Certain people set performance standards so high, other people spend their lives trying to equal them.
The real question is, how can you join that select company of standard setters? When you analyze the lives of Armstrong, Ferrari and the others, you arrive at some interesting answers to that question.
First of all, you discover that setting new standards doesn't mean doing things that nobody else does. Look at Lance Armstrong. He is not the only competitive cyclist on our planet. There are tens of thousands of other racers. The difference doesn't lie in what he does, but in the fact that he does it better than anybody else can. He performs routine tasks, but with extraordinary skill.
So the secret of being a standard setter is relatively simple. If you invest the effort to make sure that everything you do exceeds expectations by a healthy margin, you set standards. And you move steadily ahead of the pack.
If you stay alert, you will see that every day presents countless opportunities to set high benchmarks for others to follow:
Beat deadlines. If someone expects you to turn in a project in a week, submit it in three days. Exceeding expectations is a quick path to setting new standards.
Keep every promise you make. If you tell a friend that you will write a letter of recommendation for his daughter who is applying to college, have that letter on his desk within 48 hours. Don't make him call in a week to remind you. There are no small promises—only small people who don't fulfill them.
Be a better communicator than everyone around you at work. Listen to people and ask follow-up questions to be sure you have understood. Not many people invest even a few extra minutes in these steps. Yet if you do, you will set a standard for the way people should communicate in your organization.
Respect everyone, especially people who are different from you. That's not simplistic advice. Stop and think about how rare genuine respect for others can be in our world. Practice it and watch your leadership profile grow.
Make your products shine. If you are a real estate developer, for example, make your properties more elegant than those being offered by your competitors. Standard-raisers often create things of beauty.
Opportunities to set new standards are literally right before you, every day of the week. Look for them, seize them, and for your efforts you will be rewarded with exceptional recognition and an exceptional life.
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO GET RICH THE PIC WAY?
WITHIN 30 DAYS OF CONSISTENT FOCUS, YOU CAN MAKE IT. GIVE IT A TRY.
When Lance Armstrong scored his record seventh win of the Tour de France this summer, sports writers around the world observed that he had set a new standard for future generations of bicycle racers to follow. What exactly does it mean to set a new standard? It is an interesting question to explore.
One thing is certain. To be a standard-setter is an honor that not many people achieve. When Enzo Ferrari built the first 12-cylinder race cars half a century ago, he set a performance standard that had other racing teams struggling to keep up. When Arthur Rubinstein played the piano works of Chopin, he set a standard that an entire generation of pianists has been trying to equal. And at Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos has set standards that other Internet retailers will be hard-pressed to match.
I could continue adding names to that list of standard-setters, but you get the point. Certain people set performance standards so high, other people spend their lives trying to equal them.
The real question is, how can you join that select company of standard setters? When you analyze the lives of Armstrong, Ferrari and the others, you arrive at some interesting answers to that question.
First of all, you discover that setting new standards doesn't mean doing things that nobody else does. Look at Lance Armstrong. He is not the only competitive cyclist on our planet. There are tens of thousands of other racers. The difference doesn't lie in what he does, but in the fact that he does it better than anybody else can. He performs routine tasks, but with extraordinary skill.
So the secret of being a standard setter is relatively simple. If you invest the effort to make sure that everything you do exceeds expectations by a healthy margin, you set standards. And you move steadily ahead of the pack.
If you stay alert, you will see that every day presents countless opportunities to set high benchmarks for others to follow:
Beat deadlines. If someone expects you to turn in a project in a week, submit it in three days. Exceeding expectations is a quick path to setting new standards.
Keep every promise you make. If you tell a friend that you will write a letter of recommendation for his daughter who is applying to college, have that letter on his desk within 48 hours. Don't make him call in a week to remind you. There are no small promises—only small people who don't fulfill them.
Be a better communicator than everyone around you at work. Listen to people and ask follow-up questions to be sure you have understood. Not many people invest even a few extra minutes in these steps. Yet if you do, you will set a standard for the way people should communicate in your organization.
Respect everyone, especially people who are different from you. That's not simplistic advice. Stop and think about how rare genuine respect for others can be in our world. Practice it and watch your leadership profile grow.
Make your products shine. If you are a real estate developer, for example, make your properties more elegant than those being offered by your competitors. Standard-raisers often create things of beauty.
Opportunities to set new standards are literally right before you, every day of the week. Look for them, seize them, and for your efforts you will be rewarded with exceptional recognition and an exceptional life.
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO GET RICH THE PIC WAY?
WITHIN 30 DAYS OF CONSISTENT FOCUS, YOU CAN MAKE IT. GIVE IT A TRY.
