Being and becoming your best is hard work. Hard doesn’t mean impossible. Rather, it requires commitment, a goal, and most importantly, consistency.

I love the way Seth Godin described the difference between persistence and consistency. As he put it, “persistence is annoying.” I see his point.

Excellence, improving, getting better needs consistency.

If you want to want to learn to draw, show up and draw something every day.

If you want to improve customer service, show up every day with a smile and the willingness to help people.

Small things can and do make a difference. But, we must be consistent.

“And the best thing is that you only have to make the choice to be consistent once. After that, it’s simply a matter of keeping your promise. “Seth Godin

Ask anyone

“Do you want to get better at what you do?”

Do you ever hear this response?

“No, I would like to remain mediocre. In fact, I think I will try to get worse at my job today.”

I have never met anyone who chooses to do their worst each day. Humans come hardwired to learn, improve, aim higher, and compete with themselves and others to survive.

Watch children at play. They explore. They ask why more than we would like. They pick things up off the ground, and to our horror, taste them.

If you put up a gate to keep children safe or out of mischief, they will find a way to get over the gate. Trust me. I have first-hand experience with gate climbers.

Whenever I begin working with a team on continuous improvement, I ask a direct question. “Do you and your team want to improve and achieve excellence? “

All heads start nodding, yes. But then, I must explain the two sides of the getting better coin. I call it the good news—bad news.

Good News—Bad News

The good news—I am here to help you become your best and support and coach you along the way. The bad news—to become your best will require change.

Success, excellence, and all those positive outcomes need this critical ingredient: a long-term commitment to the journey. Small steps, consistently, over time, will make all the difference.

  • Are you ready to make continuous improvement a habit? Consistent small steps every day.
  • Is your team ready for new ways to think about how and why they do the work this way?
  • Do you and your team believe change is possible and good news?
  • Are you prepared to look objectively at what is without blaming people?
  • As the leader, will you fearlessly, persistently, and tenaciously make continuous improvement a priority?

Once you decide to take that first step, you have begun. You are changed.

“I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”
Alice in Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll)

What small step will you take today and every day?

And always—

Be kind. Be brave. Be you.