Excellence as a Choice: Principles, Leadership, and a Lifestyle

Excellence is described not as an innate gift but as an attitude generated by a spirit. In a saturated market the future belongs to those who have the edge in excellence and quality rather than merely better products or services. Excellence is defined here as the highest quality, a superior standard, extreme quality, and maximum quality. Working below excellence is presented as working below true ability.

The Nature of Excellent People

Excellent people are characterized by action and solutions: they make improvements, not excuses, and pursue solutions instead of staring at problems. Excellence is said to orchestrate in the mind, translate into speech, and demonstrate itself in life. It is emphasized that excellence is not imposed from the outside but released from the inside. This framing places origin and responsibility within the individual.

Principles of Excellence: 1–3

Principle 1 urges not to settle for the average, warning that "average is the grave in which excellence is buried." The brief stresses that you can never change what you accept and that the greatest enemy of progress is your last success. Principle 2 calls for a deep commitment to excellence as a lifestyle: "First you must be the best, then you will be first." Michelangelo's example—adding detail even where no one would see—illustrates excellence driven by an internal spirit rather than external applause. Principle 3 centers on ethics and integrity: "your gift will carry you where your character won't keep you," and "integrity is the integration of your word and behavior."

Principles of Excellence: 4–6

Principle 4 highlights genuine respect for others, defining respect as to honor, esteem, and value highly, and noting that people care more about how much you care than how much you know. Principle 5 advocates going the second mile, insisting that responsibility is greater than rights and encouraging action beyond the call of duty. Principle 6 emphasizes consistency, describing inconsistency as frustrating and consistency as faithfulness that attracts promotion and breeds consistency in others.

Principles of Excellence: 7–9

Principle 7 insists on never stopping improvement: excellence is a spirit that is never satisfied and is constantly growing. The brief contrasts good and great leaders with the line "good leaders manage people and develop systems; great leaders develop people and manage systems," and warns "when you stop learning you start losing." Principle 8 demands always giving 100%, distinguishing cop-outs, holdouts, dropouts, and all-outs, and portraying excellent people as those who pay the price for goals and treat work as their signature. Principle 9 calls for making excellence a lifestyle: do it right the first time, all the time, and adopt the attitude, "If you can't do it right, don't do it yet."

Leadership and Excellence

True leaders are presented as embodiments of excellence who inspire it in others and focus on developing people rather than just managing tasks. Leadership tied to excellence requires visible standards: leaders must look, act, and relate like leaders to inspire those around them. Trust arises from consistent alignment between words and actions, reinforcing that "excellence produces trust" when behavior matches speech. The brief frames responsibility and example as central to leading with excellence.

Self-Competition and Individuality

Excellence is framed as an inward competition: never compare yourself with others but measure yourself against who you were before. The brief asserts "excellence is competition with yourself" and urges celebration of individuality rather than becoming a copy of mediocrity. Individual distinctiveness is presented as vital to standing out and maintaining high standards.

Key Quotations and Final Thoughts

Several quotable lines encapsulate the approach: "Excellence is not a gift... excellence is an attitude generated by a spirit," "Excellent people make improvements not excuses," and "Quality is never an accident." Attitude, standard, and state of mind are offered as secrets to life. To be yourself and help others discover themselves is described as the essence of living well.