Business Concept 7: The Culture of Excellence

I just attended a 1-day corporate training workshop and here are some lessons that I thought were worth documenting down while still fresh in my mind.

• Creating a culture / environment of high performance / excellence is about teamwork. It begins with 1, but also keep in mind that each and every 1 has a part to play no matter how insignificant 1 might think
• A corporate motto can drive the message throughout the company, but each and everyone has to believe in the message and driven from top-down. Dwelling on this, I came up with the motto "Helping People"
• We all have untapped potential we choose not to maximise. Look at handicapped people: The blind have a heightened senses of smell, touch and hearing. Those who cannot make use of their legs make up for them in their arms to the point that they are stronger than able-bodied people. Complacency and taking things for granted are roadblocks to most people
• The kung fu masters of the old days would teach their disciples 9 out of the 10 steps they knew for fear that their disciples will outperform them in the future. They needed the 1 step to maintain the advantage, but what happens when their disciples take on new disciples? They teach 8 of the 9 steps they know for the same reason and this creates a culture of dwindling ability. Creating a culture of excellence is teaching the disciples all 10 steps so it forces you to learn and create the 11th step
• Continuous improvement is an action, whereby when repeated, can turn into a habit that becomes second nature.

Thanks to Nicholas Choo for creating an interesting learning experience.