How Do You Focus on Excellence?

In 1995, I started a project to help the whole world make improvements at 20 times the usual rate. I knew it was a good idea, but I wasn't so sure that anyone else would think so.

How would I pursue this project to engage the interest of great leaders? I had no idea, not even a clue. All I knew was that I was supposed to make this announcement at the autumnal equinox.

I quickly organized the meeting. Clients graciously agreed to fly in to share their triumphs and lessons with one another. We were able to reserve my favorite room for such meetings at the Four Seasons restaurant in Manhattan.

Not knowing how anyone else would take the announcement of the new project, I decided to keep it to myself. I also had the impression that my instructions were to keep the project private until the announcement. Otherwise, why make the announcement then rather than sooner?

Realizing that something important might happen, I pressed one of my children into creating a video of the whole event.

As the weeks passed before the equinox, I was strangely calm even though I often felt like I was standing at the top of a tall building about to walk into space.

I don't normally get nervous before a big event; usually I'm quite calm. When the morning of the event came, I found myself very excited instead. I was looking forward to making my announcement. How would everyone react?

And normally I wouldn't have exposed clients to so many speakers without having rehearsed the speakers . . . or at least gone through quite thorough briefings. But this time, I had simply told everyone what aspect of their experiences I hoped they would share and gave them complete leeway for how to tell their stories. One reason I felt comfortable with this approach was my sense of the absolute integrity that these outstanding executives always used to guide their lives.

The talks turned out to be amazingly good. I couldn't have possibly improved what they said, even if I had spent weeks with each person. Clearly, the speakers were inspired by the occasion and the honor they felt at being asked to share their knowledge with the group. They had prepared very carefully and thoroughly. In addition, each speaker dug deeply to share powerful personal experiences that had not been related in public before.

Here's an example: One CFO wanted to share the many ways that he got ordinary people to speak with him candidly about what was going on in his organization. His usual method? He dressed up like the other employees and began pushing a broom, moving boxes, or just doing whatever everyone else was doing. Most people assumed he was a new employee. Within a day or two, people opened up to the new guy. No one ever realized that he was from corporate headquarters.

To communicate what he learned, he would wear other costumes and role play for his audiences. For instance, after concluding that the organization's board had been too loose with the purse strings, he dressed as Scrooge and said a lot of "Bah, humbug!" at the next budget review by the board.

On that day, the CFO dressed up as Albert Einstein (fright wig and all) and gave us equations for making breakthrough progress. It was an unforgettable performance, and the audience loved it! He was greatly moved by the reaction he received.

As one spectacular talk followed another one, I felt like I was on top of the world.

When you let great leaders do their thing, you, too, can inspire everyone to achieve more excellence.

Are you ready?