Permission To Not Be Excellent
I am 14 days late to share with you, what I wanted on Wednesday May 21st, the day my Dad had a major surgery & reconstruction at Stanford…so here it is, now :
It is OK if you or your studio do not strive to be excellent.
'Good' or 'very good' is absolutely OK for many people & brands.
Many people & brands can (and do) make money & not be excellent.
Some clients may not even know what excellence means or how excellence feels & do not have a comparison to something else to know the difference.
I believe excellence requires continued mentoring and guidance even when we are uncomfortable.
To reiterate: it is OK if you do not strive to be excellent.
That's it. That's where my thoughts landed 2 weeks ago, while sitting and thinking positively…then pacing the surgery center…then taking a walk on the beautiful, peaceful, tree-lined Stanford campus, for 9 hours until the surgery finished.
I was extremely grateful to be amidst excellence in healthcare. But even though back in March, I'd hit temporary pause on my work in fitness with 2 simultaneously ill parents…my thoughts still came back to how it threads-in for you & your business, Noel Nocciolo
Excellence, of course, matters quite a lot in healthcare, especially if you're a complicated patient, as is my Dad, who has battled cancer off & on since 1997. I've spent significant time with my Dad over the past 8 months, in 3 hospitals for surgeries & care & in the most general way possible, this is how I see it:
The community hospital where he lives = akin to a YMCA or community gym [It's fine for a general population of people -→ affordable movement options for the masses]
UC Davis Medical Center = akin to a New York Sports Club or Crunch [For sure a step up in comprehensive healthcare with more doctors of differing backgrounds/niche specialties -→ more of everything you'd receive at the YMCA or community gym + better amenities instructors]
Stanford Medical Center = akin to an Equinox [Another level of healthcare with world-class providers all working together for good outcomes -→ bougie, luxurious spaces]
Not everyone can be excellent, nor wants to be.
I've learned firsthand that excellence requires humility & often takes getting your butt kicked. In my Dad's case 2 weeks ago while in surgery, the drill-head (made by Stryker; the publicly-traded company used widely for medical devices in the US) broke off in his bone & the surgical team spent 90 minutes “fishing it out” (surgeon's quote). Then called Stryker from the operating room, for additional support & to say a few choice words I won't place here, but you can imagine.
That right there is excellence in the face of a freak accident.
The excellence I cared about wasn't in the original Roy Lichtenstein painting hanging behind the check-in counter of the surgery center…but in the ability for a team to deliver.
You know I love hearing from you if anything resonates & with that, I hope you have a great rest of your week!
Noël
(As you can imagine, the majority of my brain cells have gone to caring for my Dad, following the initial, and 1 additional, surgery. He is doing exceptionally well in the healing process & relieved does not begin to describe. )
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