4 Ways to Obtain Excellence

Legendary San Francisco 49ers Coach Bill Walsh would often ask young coaches or executives if they knew the name Tom Peters.

It wasn't a trick question, merely a way for Walsh to gauge if those he was speaking to had a growth mindset. Most didn't know the name, so Walsh would tell them to head to the Stanford bookstore and buy "In Search of Excellence," the book Peters penned alongside Bob Waterman.

"In Search of Excellence" became a bestseller and must-read for any corporation or aspiring leader as soon as it hit the shelves in 1982. Peters and Waterman broke down the barriers of conventional wisdom, offering leaders and managers new ways of thinking with their eight characteristics of excellent companies. 

In any profession, we're always searching for excellence from within and for our teams. Vince Lombardi once said, "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence." For the last 50 years, Peters has been obsessed with understanding what makes companies excel and what makes leaders great.

Peters has "traveled the world talking about (his) findings — 2,500 speeches, 2.5 million frequent-flier miles, 63 countries, and a life that bordered on pure exhaustion pretty much all the time. And then there were more books — 20 by the last count, and a couple of dozen ebooks."

Peters has been overly generous in sharing his wisdom. His slides are available for anyone on his website, and he is more than willing to engage anyone who wants to improve his/her leadership skills.

In one slide in particular, he breaks down four ways to obtain excellence in the modern world:

1. Care more than others think is wise. When we are fully invested in what we do, we care to the extremes. It almost always makes a difference.

2. Risk more than others think is safe. If we are unwilling to take chances and believe in ourselves, how can we ever become excellent? 

3. Dream more than others think is practical. The world will get out of the way for people who know where they're going. Dreaming is how we begin our pathway to excellence. 

4. Expect more than others think is possible. When we constantly raise our level and challenge expectations, we bring those around us to another level. Excellence requires commitment, not contentment. 

Recently, Peters announced his search for excellence is ending, as he has officially retired from the speaking circuit. But he'll continue to write books and help others.

He impacted many people's lives — including a young scout from the 49ers who learned critical leadership lessons from reading his incredible book.

Tom Peters made a difference. So can you.