Striving towards Excellence

by Karthik Gurumurthy

I am currently reading a book Focal Point by Brian Tracy. The author talks about the crucial need for leaders to create results. The road to failure is paved with good intentions. The road to success is paved with results.

Nearly fifty years ago Clement Stone and Napolean Hill said, “Too often what we read and profess becomes a part of our libraries and our vocabularies, instead of becoming a part of our lives.” I express it differently: the difference between excellence and mediocrity is the difference between common knowledge and consistent application.

There is a trait I have discussed countless times to my business prospects, and I call it “drive to completion.” I  am always on the lookout for internally motivated people who has the drive to completion. While I value it in an associate, it is absolutely essential for a leader.  That is the ability to do whatever it takes to complete a project or task. I have noticed that few of my associates has the desire to set goals but not the ddiscipline to get the job done. Don’t tell me you haven’t been able to get the information I requested because someone didn’t return your phone call. Drive to completion means you kept pursuing the needed information by other means.

As leaders we need to continually hone this trait in ourselves and teach it to our team members. Drive to completion is the ratio between what you started and what you finished. It requires persistence and creativity; determination without skill is annoying and ineffective.