Environmental Education

How Excellence and Sustainability are Vital to Next-Level Achievement

From a shallow perspective, excellence and sustainability may not appear to be essential. Many organizations simply get lost in the operational part of doing business and produce adequate results. However, successfully moving an organization to the next level is difficult, if not impossible, without these two driving forces. 

Effective leaders know that adequate results are not enough. The passionate pursuit of excellence and a better tomorrow raises continuous improvement to a higher level. In the same way, sustainability - the survival and growth of the quality of the organization despite the inevitable competition and other uncontrollable circumstances – is absolutely crucial to breaking through the status quo and reaching for next-level achievement. 

As you may have already surmised, effective leadership goes hand in hand with excellence and sustainability. The organizational focus on effective leadership at every level of the organization is the key to the excellence and sustainability of the organization. You can also think of it this way: if excellence and sustainability represent the wheel of the effective organization, effective leadership is the hub of that wheel. Effective leadership really is that important. So how should this translate into your day to day as an effective leader? 

#1 — Begin to Foster a Positive, Creative Work Environment 

When I observe an organization with a high-quality culture and a high-energy climate, I always find effective leaders at the helm that value a vital resource: creativity! By fostering creative work environments, they develop collaborative opportunities to involve everyone in the thinking process of the organization.When leaders gain access to the individual thoughts and ideas of those who make up the organization, a higher level of thinking and collaboration is reached from which creativity and commitment are spawned. 

#2 — Strive to Deliver Measurable & Sustainable Results 

Results management is the cornerstone of effective leadership. Effectiveness is the only true measure of action, and effective leaders consistently choose effective actions supported by measurable results. Effective leaders deliver measurable and sustainable results because they are consistently driven by the process of multiplying what works, abandoning what does not, and consistently measuring results, so they will always know the difference. 

#3 — Maintain the Ethical Integrity of the Workplace 

Effective leaders know that the long-term sustainability of an organization is dependent upon the ethical integrity of its leadership. They know that the sustainability of the organization is in jeopardy any time manipulation and deceit are tolerated. I have observed organizations that actually encourage their employees to come up with new and innovative ways to deceive the customer. It will not surprise you to hear that such organizations are usually fraught with mistrust. Effective leaders maintain integrity by considering others first and avoiding the comfort zone of self-centeredness. 

As you foster a creative work environment, deliver measurable results, and maintain the ethical integrity of your organization, you will begin moving toward excellence and sustainability. But don't stop there – begin to pass on these practices to every individual in leadership throughout your organization. 

Those that heed the call of building a culture of excellence and sustainability must invest in the development of existing and future leaders. Leadership development is not a cost at all but rather an investment with measurable return. If you take the time to implement these strategies, you will most certainly reap the benefits of next-level achievement.

About the Author

Inspiring genuine growth and achievement in leaders, David Byrd has 30 years of experience working with top business executives and their organizations. He is a master of effective leadership and works closely with leaders worldwide to maximize their leadership potential. For more information about The Next-Level Achievement System® or David's book, Achievement – A Proven System For Next Level Growth, visit http://www.authorsup.com/David-Byrd. 

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