While planning this article on excellence, I had a personal “consumer experience” that is so appropriate I decided to share it here because it perfectly illustrates the point I am making.

I had taken my granddaughter to a doctor appointment because my daughter was unable to leave work.  They live about an hour away so after the doctor appointment, I had to wait for the prescriptions to be filled at the local pharmacy before returning home with my granddaughter who is only 7 years old.  The first time I checked with the pharmacy about 4:30pm, the prescriptions, sent electronically from the doctor’s office, had not arrived.  We went to have some dinner and returned about 5:30; still no prescriptions. The pharmacy technician told me to try calling the doctor’s office, which I did.  However, the office was closed so I was not able to speak with anyone. After explaining, yet again, that we had been waiting since leaving the doctor’s office at 4:15 pm and lived an hour away so it was not possible to go home and come back.  The pharmacy representative told me I could call the after- hours clinic and see if they could resend the prescriptions, or call them in. I called the after-hours clinic, only to be placed on hold for over twenty minutes.  By this time it was 6:15 pm and we had been waiting two hours.  Finally after hanging up and trying a different number, I reach a nurse and explained that there had been a problem with the prescriptions and she agreed to call them in to the pharmacy for me.  When I arrive back at the pharmacy window, believing I would now be able to get the medication and get my granddaughter home for her breathing treatment, the pharmacy rep then proceeded to tell me they had received the prescriptions, but now there were many other people ahead of me, so I would have to wait another 30 plus minutes.  After waiting for the prescriptions a little over three hours, we were finally headed home, another hour drive ahead.  However, the ordeal was not yet over.  The next morning, I received a call from the pharmacy.  It seems there were four prescriptions rather than the three that were filled.  The fourth prescription had arrivedlater in the evening, but they weren’t able to contact me.  There was no explanation as to why this had happened.

This is a prime example of the opposite of excellence.  Throughout the process described above, there were many opportunities for those involved to step over the line from average to excellent.  First, since the appointment with the doctor was the last one of the day, the person placing the prescription with the pharmacy could have called it in to ensure it was received.  At the very least, they could have followed up to make sure the electronic submission was received by the pharmacy.  And, they could have informed me that since it was closing time, the after-hours clinic could help me if there were any problems with the prescriptions.

At the pharmacy, the representative knew the circumstances because I had gently explained to her when she first suggested I go home and wait until they sent me a text message that the prescriptions were ready.  When the prescriptions still hadn’t arrived on my second trip to the window, the pharmacy rep could have said she would call the after-hours clinic for me.  I discovered later that the pharmacy has a direct line; they don’t have to wait on hold like I did.  And finally, after waiting two and one-half hours, the pharmacy representative could have checked to see if the prescriptions could be expedited, under the circumstances, rather than ask me to wait another 30 min. or more.  Remember, by this time I had been waiting in the parking lot with a sick child in the back of my car for several hours.

It only takes a little extra effort to be above average. Yet, despite the many opportunities none of the individuals in this scenerio even attempted to be above average.  Excellence in’t perfection. Excellence is defined as: the state or quality of excelling.  Particularly in the field of business and organizations, excellence is considered to be an important value, and a goal to be pursued.

At 211°, water is hot. At 212°, it boils. That one extra degree makes all the difference. Are you content with just being pretty good? Or are you ready to go the extra degree and be excellent?  This short video clip is about the one extra degree that makes all the difference.  I hope you enjoy it!