Level Up Solutions is about Creating Excellence Through People. So, what do we mean by that?
Excellence can be described in many ways, including greatness, high quality, and value. At Level Up, we like to think of excellence as a work in progress. There will always be ongoing work involved in excellence because change and discovery are both constant. Whether in career or business operations and strategy, at the end of the day, excellence is about learning, growth, and development that drives purpose, achievement, and satisfaction in the people actively involved in the process and the outcomes that ensue.
Excellence is rooted in our “why.” Most companies have mission and vision statements to offer clarity and meaning to their purpose, including the level of quality and value added. These declarations help to describe their “why” and are often accompanied by values and other principles that offer direction in efforts.
There may be numerous intrinsic or extrinsic motivators or a combination of directional indicators for an individual when composing their definition of excellence and the purpose they incorporate. For some, the reward of a paycheck, control of a schedule, and certainty of the day-to-day equate to their “why” of work. For others, belief in the mission of their organization, curiosity about what opportunities the future holds, and educational or professional development accomplishments fuel and expand their “why.” The list goes on of the motivators that may or may not be a part of what each individual wants to achieve, and satisfaction derived from the work.
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant, Eve Guadet, describes working in the public sector with a pension, benefits, and regular paycheck. This worked out to be her “why,” as her husband started his own business, and the kids were little. Fast-forward to a different time and place. Her “why” changed as the context of her life changed. Although it may be scary to realize our “why” is changing, it’s supposed to. Ultimately, excellence shouldn’t be something we chase but something we create and align with through our work, values, mindset, and actions.
Going back to those other descriptions of excellence, I can’t help but think of one of my top five favorite podcasts. Creating greatness is something that Lewis Howes has evolved into a mission and career. More so, he helps others overcome challenges and find their greatness through self-development and business resources, including his podcast, The School of Greatness. What better way to envision excellence in career and business than through the analogy of school and the learning, growth, and development required for walking the stage towards achievement and fulfillment?
Here are a few tips to help define YOUR excellence:
- The opposite of excellence is stagnancy, so we must start making waves if we want to see an upswing in career or business.
- Making waves starts with reflection and honesty with ourselves. Why am I in my current career? What landed me at this crossroads in my business? We must recognize where we are and what got us here to steer us toward our excellence. Otherwise, we will be running on a hamster wheel and delaying progress.
- Values, values, values! Define your personal values and recognize if they have shifted. There are formal assessments to help with this, but think about what experiences have made you feel great, not so great, and what is genuinely important to you. (Not your family, employer, etc., but to YOU!)
- What are you good at? Again, numerous formal assessments and analyses can help answer this question in a career or business. Identifying our own strengths is typically easy, though sometimes we can surprise ourselves. However, admitting areas that challenge us may be even more valuable. While we should always strive to understand and build upon our strengths, the biggest waves we may make toward excellence in our career and business could be the efforts we invest in minimizing our gaps.
Creating Excellence Through People is Level Up’s “why” not only because we offer expertise and support to help with the level up of your career and business but because we act as a catalyst of empowering you to “listen to yourself and learn from yourself” (our motto). Excellence is an inside job that ignites the greatness that results through ongoing change, discovery, and defining your “why” in work, career, and business.
