PREPARING FOR EXCELLENCE

Like most things in life, a good foundation almost always guarantees a successful completion. The extra care given to building up a process or project manifests in the ease and success of that endeavour.  Anytime a building structure, for example, collapses, the error almost always traces back to the faulty foundation of that structure. Educationists tell us that primary education is the most important stage of a child’s academic journey because once the right foundation is laid; the child will develop a wholesome attitude towards studying and knowledge gathering. Of course it goes without saying that the wrong background will cause the child to acquire a wrong attitude to education and that may keep affecting the child into adulthood unless care is taken to redress the situation.

Just as in the cases above, to excel in anything, whether business, education or any social engagement, adequate preparation is needed. There is a popular saying attributed to former US president, Benjamin Franklin, that if you fail to plan, inadvertently, you have planned to fail. The emphasis on planning signifies a conscious and meticulous preparation towards the successful attainment of a goal. It indicates a desire not just to prepare for an opportunity but to excel at it. Most great names in history were people who were deliberate about their choices; they were ‘tunnel visionish’ and held on tenaciously to their goals and for all their hard work, their names have been written in the journals of life.

Excellence is not a chance occurrence, as Aristotle said, it is a habit, not an act. It responds to certain attributes and every time these attributes come together, excellence is birthed. I know this for a fact because it worked for a certain prominent man in my country, Nigeria, who I would call Kunle (not real name). 30 years ago, Kunle was struggling to make ends meet; he had a monthly income that came nowhere. However, there was something peculiar about Kunle that set him apart from other struggling junior staff. He handled every assignment with an enthusiasm and a thoroughness that was quite staggering. Many of his colleagues said it was eye service but Kunle never changed his attitude and after a while most senior officers in the organisation would rather entrust an assignment to Kunle than the 53 other officers within his pay grade.  One day, I asked Kunle why he was always upbeat. Wasn’t he ever weighed down by life? Didn’t he get tired being called all the time to handle different assignments, even those outside his job spec?

He told me that he wanted to be a great man and that he’d studied the lives and habits of many great people and one of the major nuggets for overall success was to put in his best into every assignment. Well, today, Kunle is very prominent and successful. His attention to details and his upbeat attitude earned him hundreds of referees; very senior colleague in the organisation had some good recommendations for him. I wasn’t surprised years later, when I started hearing some very excellent recitals about Kunle and seeing him in very exclusive circles. Today, his name is easily associated with excellence because he was deliberate and very determined to change his narrative.

There are certain attributes that have been identified as being common to all successful people and these lay the foundation for excellence:

• A hunger for knowledge. They say knowledge is power and it is also a vital step on the ladder to excellence. Anyone who wants to excel knows that he must keep improving his mind daily; read voraciously, research extensively and never feel that he knows it all.
• This fires determination. Passion is what makes a man take that extra step, walk another kilometer, ignore distractions and keep pushing.
• Most great ventures are often mind-boggling and appear unattainable to the lily-livered. In the face of discouragements and criticism from people who see only the difficulties, a person needs a well-grounded internal optimism to shut out pessimism and forge ahead.
• Arm yourself with relevant information before you start a project. With knowledge comes clarity. Excellence starts from the ability to see the big picture clearly. Clarity births conviction which in turn drives persistence.
• The people who excel never give up. They know where they are going and they keep at it till they succeed. Their commitment is 100%.
• Excellence demands a lot of creativity; ‘the usual way’ hardly gives an excellent result.
• Self-Discipline. This is one of the most fundamental factors in the pursuit for excellence. A person cannot go far with an indolent or lackadaisical attitude. A person that hungers for excellence is methodological in his approach to life and life issues; frivolities are pruned out.
• Emotional Awareness. Every great achievement happens in a space, in the midst of people and in tandem with the events of that period. The emotional investment or distortion from the environment must be fully factored in.
• This is very vital for every engagement whether personal or formal. Precise and concise communication makes it easy to accomplish tasks more efficiently. It also helps with effective documentation of successes and processes for the stakeholders and general public.
• Change is the only thing that is constant and to excel, a man must know that there are several possible ways to achieve the desired result. If Route ‘A’ is not working, then it is time to move to Route ‘B,’ or ‘C’ and even to ‘Z’ until excellence is achieved.

These 10 attributes applied to any venture would almost always produce an excellent result because excellence actually starts from within. Talking about inculcating excellence as a habit such that it reflects in everything, Mr. Olu Jacobs, a well-respected and multi-talented movie icon in Nigeria, is credited to have said there is no small movie role, every role, whether a one-line role or an appearance in a crowd scene, should be acted as though the fate of the entire movie rested on it. That in effect is the sum of the attitude that births excellence.

Wake up early and set your activities for the day. Most people who strive for excellence are very organised and manage their time excellently. Rest is important so adequate provision must be made for sleep in order to keep the energy level high; self care is vital because a body weighed down with fatigue and ailment will have a struggle to perform optimally.

Keep your spirits up; if there’s no motivation coming from anywhere, motivate yourself. There would be many things that may disorganise you, delay your projections or disturb your equilibrium; you have to encourage yourself to keep going. Just as there are people with bad energy who may sap your enthusiasm, there are tons of people with good energy who will encourage you and challenge you. Gravitate to the good ones. Set daily and weekly goals and make sure they are achievable but not too easy.

Above all these, believe in yourself and your abilities. You too can excel; it is not magic.

So long!

ON MY MIND THIS WEEK

A).The next elections and how so very important it is for us all to select right. Nigeria is at the edge of a precipice and all of us must work to select leaders capable of changing our age old negative growth and developmental narrative.

B).The war in Ukraine: How pointless it is and how unpredictable things can turn. It is sad to see needless human lives being lost. What will it take to pull the warring parties to the table and stop the carnage?