Pursuing Excellence is a Mistake:http://www.sx2.com/reason_08.html The pursuit of excellence is not a linear process, but a circular one. Early explorers pursued their objectives using the most direct route between where they were and where they wanted to be. And, like early explorers, those in pursuit of excellence have discovered that the horizon keeps moving away from them.

Because of this circular route, it is possible to pursue excellence to the point that we run over the reason for starting our quest in the first place. When this happens, wine turns to vinegar and the search for love becomes stalking. Mussolini may have made the trains run on time, but the Italians didn’t care.

The pursuit of excellence for the sake of excellence is the worship of a false god. Remembering and appreciating why we’re doing what we’re doing is critical to the long-term success of any enterprise. Whether we measure success with money, satisfaction, security or fulfillment, excellence is an attitude, not the answer.

There comes a point at which we can’t cut any more costs, streamline the process any further, or ask half the employees to do twice the work just to stay even. It is possible to survive under these circumstances but it is impossible to save our way to success.

Excellence as a goal is less than arbitrary, it’s artificial. It is a ladder without rungs and as such, lacks shape and stability. By identifying and positioning each rung as an area for improvement, others can then contribute, even collaborate. The pursuit of excellence can then become a metaphor, not a method of achievement.

Like most things of value, excellence doesn’t come about without smart work. The ability to define – even redefine – success in terms accessible to those responsible for achieving success is paramount.

Excellence is the by-product of managed and focused resources to produce energy and innovation. The partners of Essex Two have helped those responsible for the success of their organizations achieve their objectives for over 30 years. By identifying ways for clients to bring their customers closer to their products, Essex Two has applied a critical thinking process to make a critical difference.

Visit the Essex Two website (sx2.com) for case studies that demonstrate how clients get to where they want to be.

Worth your time: Why Not?: How to Use Everyday Ingenuity to Solve Problems Big and Small. This book is a primer for fresh business thinking, for problem solving with a purpose, for bringing the world a few steps closer to the way it should be. Idealistic? Yes. Unrealistic? No.

Authors Barry Nalebuff and Ian Ayres have spent their careers asking questions, solving problems, and bringing fresh ideas to market. Illustrated with examples from every aspect of life, this book offers simple techniques for generating ingenious solutions to existing problems, and for applying existing solutions to new problems.