Taking An Excellent Risk

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Do you excel or do you achieve? Maybe you believe you do both? One thing is for certain if you focus on achieving you may well overlook the rewards of taking the risk to excel? It sounds easy to say, “I have succeeded so I must have done well?” However to be competitive and stand head and shoulders above others you need to excel. Within many organizations, because of worries about job security, many focus on achievements. A rigid ambition to do achieve nearly always leads to dissatisfaction because of the implied necessity that “In order for me to succeed I have to….” This is why focusing on achievements invariable fails to bring a feeling of success as we always succumb to pressure to achieve more.

In the ordinary “run of the mill” achievements are good for Mr. and Mrs. Average but it is those who rise above the average who excel. Excelling is all about surpassing, exceeding, transcending, outdoing and outstripping whatever others may do. On the face if it this may sound like a recipe for failure. Surely we cannot do all those things when in competition with others?  Wrong, because when it comes to excelling you are not in competition with others, you are in competition with your own inner self. Some forms of excellence are obvious, like when an athlete breaks a world record.  What matters more importantly to the athlete is not what others think, but what he thinks. Had he run his best? Did he believe he had excelled? If he doesn’t believe then winning the race has only become a simple achievement and the satisfaction will not be the same. Excellence brings a feeling of satisfaction which is emotionally rewarding. The thrill of achieving excellence is lasting whereas the simple act of achieving is only brief.

You may think that you cannot be both an achiever and also someone who pursues excellence.  But both these attributes run as equal partners. If you put aside achievements as your focus and become a pursuer of excellence, you will find that you will invariably become more successful because you are not strangled by a fear of failure. You will be able to enjoy yourself as you pursue different goals and risks which will increase your chance of success. “Whoa?” I hear you say, “Risks, I do not want to take risks.”

Imagine when you first drove a car, how you approached traffic lights, curves, junctions and observed speed limits carefully. Now, with experience, you take calculated risks. Risks which you are sure will help you on your journey and not reduce yours or others safety. Experience taught you how to calculate the risks involved. It is this type of experience one brings to pursuing goals to achieve excellence. Achieving excellence has a unique emotional adrenalin rush which is long-lasting. Excellence in achievements, over a period, of time brings rewards. My friend of many years is Alistair Burt. He has been a conscientious and dedicated constituency UK Member of Parliament. I believe he has not only worked hard to achieve things, in this role, but he has also excelled at enjoying being a Member of Parliament. His achievements were of much greater value because he excelled. His excellence has now been recognized. He was appointed, on 14th May this year, as the UK Parliamentary under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The same applies equally within C.S.S. What makes your company the driving, forward looking and dynamic company it is today is not only demonstrated by looking at its list of achievements, since its inception 15 years back, but at its record of excellence over the years.So if your mindset is focused on achievements, please step back, re-focus and think about achieving excellence. Be bold and take an excellent risk, it will be worth it.