Core value · Success family
Excellence
Holding a high bar
Also covers Brilliance, Greatness and Perfection
What does excellence mean as a core value?
Excellence as a core value means holding a high standard for whatever you do, and caring about the gap between work that’s competent and work that’s outstanding.
Good enough rarely is, for you. You notice the typo on slide twelve, the dish that’s slightly under-seasoned, the pass that was nearly perfect. The measure is the work itself, done as well as it can be done, and seeing something at its brilliant best genuinely moves you. People around you might find the bar high at first. Over time, you probably raise the standard of any team you join, and plenty of them come to enjoy it.
What does excellence look like in practice?
- You redraft a presentation a third time after others have signed it off.
- You ask what great looks like before agreeing what done looks like.
- You give detailed feedback because you believe people can do even better.
- You pay for training or tools that will make your work noticeably better.
- You study the best people in your field closely.
When is excellence overplayed?
Excellence slides easily into perfectionism. Work never feels finished, deadlines slip, and people stop sharing drafts because they know what’s coming. You may struggle to delegate or to praise anything short of great, and privately, falling short can feel like failure when it could be learning. Healthy excellence chooses where the high bar matters most and sets standards that lift people. One thing you could try is to name the two or three pieces of work this month where the bar really counts, and let the rest go out at good enough.
Often confused with
Excellence vs Quality
Quality is about things being made well and built to last. Excellence is about the standard of performance, and it can apply to anything you do, from a speech to a friendship.
Excellence vs Mastery
Mastery is deep skill built over time. Excellence is the standard you hold, whether or not you’ve mastered the thing yet.
Excellence vs Winning
Winning is coming out ahead of others. Excellence is measured against the best possible version of the work, whoever else is in the race.
Questions to sit with
- Where is your high bar making things better, and where is it just making them later?
- What would you let be good enough if you trusted people not to judge you for it?
- How do people on your team feel about showing you unfinished work?
More values in Success
Achievement, ambition and coming out on top.
About the author
Matt Rutherford is a Career and Leadership Coach. The Values Finder is the same exercise he uses with his coaching clients. He also writes Stuff that MattRs, a weekly newsletter with practical ideas to help you think clearer and work better.
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