“The definition of world-class is something that is the best of the best, of the highest class internationally.”
– A paraphrase of three on-line dictionary definitions of “world-class”
One, it’s subjective. Completely, utterly subjective.
Two, it’s in the eye of the beholder (subjective on steroids, in other words…). One man’s “it would be my pleasure” at the Ritz-Carlton is another man’s “self-check-in / self check-out” at the chain hotel.
Three, for most small companies, it’s a pipe dream. If we attain “world-class __________,” how will we measure it, how will we prove it, how will we retain the lofty status and how will we #getbettereveryday? How will we avoid complacency?
For most companies, “remarkable,” and “better-every-day” are more fitting targets. Seth Godin defines “remarkable” as “something that gets remarked upon.” If I’m CEO of XYZ Widgets my goal is that my customers are at their dinner tables with their families, saying, “The coolest thing happened today. Tammy, from XYZ Widgets, asked me some questions that I’d never considered before. Turns out we had a problem with __________, and she helped me solve it. It had nothing to do with widgets, either!”
If I’m CEO of ABC Super Widgets, instead of measuring myself against “Global Super Widgets” or “World Class Super Widgets and More,” my plans and execution need to ensure that I get better, every day, day-after-day. In some indisputable, quantifiable way.
We’ll always be able to argue whether something is world-class. If our clients and customers are talking about us solving their problems, and how “it seems like they just get better and better, day-after-day,” it won’t matter if it’s world-class, and not just because world-class is a dopey descriptor. It won’t matter because we’ll be maximizing what we do, who we are and how our clients rely on us to help them do the same.
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