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Jun 9 2009 9:39AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
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By Rick Heaston

As simple as it seems, continuous improvement baffles me. No, not because it's hard to understand, that's the easy part. It's different than that. I'm baffled that such a simple concept can create so many different interpretations. Maybe it's too simple.

Robert Cook in his book, The Other Ninety Percent, explains continuous improvement by comparing the difference between those that compete and those that excel.

"To compete means to run in the same race, in the same way as everyone else … always knowing that someone must lose for you to win. Your goal is to get across the finish line first by any 'fair' means."

"To excel means to continually reach beyond the best you have ever given because doing so matters to you personally. It means that you’re continuously trying to be better than your yesterday’s self."

While competing and excelling might seem like they go hand in hand, there's a huge difference. If you're competing, you're always trying to figure a way "get a leg up" on the competition. And in the end, you'll only be as good as your competition allows you to be.

If you're working to excel, you’ve changed the rules. With innovation, your creativity will be limitless. You'll soon become the leader instead of a participant in the race. In the end, your competition will forever be chasing and never quite able to figure out why they can't catch up.