I was speaking to a group of miners in Elko, Nevada at the invitation of Matrikon.  They were not selling their services, they were introducing them to the invited companies (yes, potential customers).  As guest speaker my role was to "draw in" an audience.  Of course that worked and we had a group of very sharp people from several companies.  I pointed out that there is no "best" practice in the sense of "how to" instructions I could impart.  The only "best" practice I can talk about is choosing - actually doing what you say you will do (or are doing) and doing it well.  If that's what works well in your organization, then that is the best you can do.  One of the delegates, Daniel, from one of the larger mining companies, pointed something else out though.  We can always do better!  

Of course he's absolutely right.  There is no best.  There is successful and then there's better. Thank you Daniel - you know who you are.  Well put.

It reminds me of Lexus' "relentless pursuit of perfection".  Their choice is to pursue - not achieve.  They know that there is always better.

How many of our companies know that and behave as if they know that?

In the discussions that day it became evident that the companies represented were all doing good, but they weren't consistently doing the  best they could.  They weren't yet "choosing excellence" as I put it in "Uptime" and as I was describing it that morning.  And why not?

The surface answer is "the economy".  We don't have enough money.  I really do hear that a lot these days.  I am just cynical enough to see it as little more than another convenient excuse for not choosing differently.  An excuse for staying stuck in the old ways.  And why?  Fear!  Fear of failing at something "different" and "unknown".  Einstein, reputedly a pretty smart man, said that you can't solve problems with the same thinking that created them.  In my opinion (that of another smart man) he was right.  Do you agree?  If so, what's holding you back from choosing excellence?  Choosing differently?  Are you giving your fears power?  Is your company giving in to the power of fear?

Now ask yourself - is that fear real or imagined?  We don't fear what has already happened to us.  We can't.  We can only fear what has  not yet happened - it's based on anticipation, imagination.  And that makes it unreal.  Stop giving fear your power.  Be real.  Get command of your mind and your fears.  Choose differently or be doomed to repeat the same mistakes already made.  Of cousre that's comfortable - you can't really fear it if it's already happened to you, even if it is something you'd rather not repeat.  Insanity!