# In Pursuit of Excellence By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-02-14 No fewer than three organizations in which I have been affiliated have had a focus on excellence. The motto of my high school was "in pursuit of excellence." One of the Air Force's core values is "excellence in all we do." Another organization that I have worked with is focused on providing excellence in their professional service. Given the prevalence, it seems that either I seek and find organizations focused on excellence or excellence must be somewhat of a fetish for organizations. I don't seek them out for their focus on excellence, so the latter is more likely. Why do organizations focus on excellence, and does the declaration influence members' pursuit of the ideal? Answering the last question, I've seen no evidence that the declaration of an excellence focus changes behavior meaningfully. Most people did most work at a level of performance that was unremarkably mediocre. This is likely nothing more than how averages work. Everything can't be excellent. Given this, it is unclear why organizations focus so much on excellence. Perhaps those in charge think this is motivating. Maybe they believe that by focusing on excellence, average performance will be, on average, better. Maybe it is signaling to customers that the given organization is superior. There are any number of potential reasons. A more realistic organizational goal might be excellence when it's essential. #### Related Items [[Excellence]] [[Performance]] [[Organization]] [[Goals]] [[Intention]] [[Focus]] [[Reality]]