There are many ways to do fine work. One is to do something exciting. You can follow your passion and do work that sets your pulse racing. Another is to do something excellent. You can translate your passion into a clear purpose, perform superb work and achieve peak performance. Still another is to go beyond excellence and do something exceptional. You can produce a something special that passes-on knowledge, shows what it is possible to achieve or provides people with a new paradigm. Let’s explore how you can pursue these three steps to do something outstanding.

Start by focusing on your own field of work or a field you find fascinating. Who has done exceptional work in this field? You may admire inventors, writers, sports people, leaders, pioneers or others. What made their work outstanding? They may have made a breakthrough invention, led a trailblazing project, created a new way of thinking or whatever. Sometimes they do it after tough experiences. JK Rowling, for example, said that: “A mere seven years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain … (but) I still had a daughter I adored, an old typewriter and a big idea.” She then translated that big idea into Harry Potter.

Let’s return to your passions. What are the exciting ideas you can pursue to do something exceptional? Try brainstorming lots of possibilities. The ‘big idea’ may not come straight away; it may take time to incubate. Let’s imagine, however, that you eventually settle on a ‘project’. Describe what you want to do, make it super specific and list the benefits. Try completing the following sentences.

The specific ‘project’ I want to pursue
to do something exceptional is:

*

The benefits of doing something
exceptional with this project would be:

*

*

*

Bearing this project in mind, let’s explore how it fits in terms of doing something exciting, excellent and exceptional.

1) You can do something that is exciting.

“Everybody feels privileged to be working here,” said Cheryl Schofield, the director of an Age Concern project I worked with in Lancashire. “We are doing pioneering work with people suffering from dementia. I know it sounds a cliché, but we are really adopting a ‘person-centred’ approach. The government will be measuring the results and, if the approach works, it will be rolled-out across the country. So far the feedback we have got is encouraging and stimulating.”

Cheryl’s team generated enthusiasm – something that is demonstrated by individuals, teams and organisations that do outstanding work. Looking back on your life, think of the activities where you have experienced this excitement. You may have been creating a garden, writing a book, refurbishing a house, selling to certain customers, developing a web site, mentoring clients, leading a super team or whatever. What did you feel when going to work each day? How did you channel these feelings in a positive way?

Let’s return to your potential project. On a scale 0 – 10, to what extent do you feel excited about the work? (Make sure it is at least 8/10.) What can you do to maintain or improve the rating? Try completing the following sentences.

The extent to which I find
the project exciting is: ___ / 10

 

The specific things I can do to
maintain or improve this score are:

*

*

*

2) You can do something that is excellent.

Tom Peters popularised the concept of ‘excellence’: but it had obviously been practised by many people through the ages. Can you think of people who have delivered this quality in their lives or work? They may have been caring for others, creating a school, starting a hospice, inventing a machine, cooking a meal, designing a building, performing a piece of music, winning an Olympic medal or whatever. What did they do right to perform such superb work?

Katie Ledger demonstrates this quality in her work as a communications coach. She helps people to ‘be themselves’ when speaking to camera. “People are often told to ‘be natural’ when a camera is pointed at them,” says Katie, “but instead they may freeze. Everybody has got a story to tell. My role is to help them to communicate it in a compelling way.” One person said: “Katie is a superb professional. She is encouraging - but gives tough messages in a way people can accept. She is also a hard task master. We had been practicing to camera for hours but, even though it was 5.30 on a Friday, she said: ‘Can we do that segment just one more time?’ Maybe it was because I was tired, but I relaxed and it was the best take of the day.” Katie is committed to helping others to achieve excellence.

Let’s return to your potential project. On a scale 0 – 10, to what extent do you feel the work you are planning will be excellent? What can you do to maintain or improve the rating? Try completing the following sentences.

The extent to which I feel the work on
the project will be excellent is: ___ / 10

 

The specific things I can do to
maintain or improve this score are:

*

*

*

3) You can do something that is exceptional.

Sometimes you experience something beyond excellence. Maybe it is a beautiful painting; a school where every child develops their potential; a magical goal scored by a footballer; a speech of reconciliation by a ‘victorious’ general; an act of kindness in the midst of chaos or whatever. You feel in the presence of greatness. Looking back on your life, when have you experienced this feeling? What did the person – or people - do right to produce something remarkable? Things that are exceptional may have the ability, for example:

* To take your breath away;

* To take you into a totally different dimension;

* To show what is possible when people use of their talents;

* To be beautiful, simple and effective;

* To provide a new paradigm that shows what is possible;

Let’s return to your potential project. On a scale 0 – 10, to what extent do you feel the work you are planning to do will be exceptional? What can you do to maintain or improve the rating? Try completing the following sentences.

The extent to which I feel the project will
produce something exceptional is: ___ / 10

 

The specific things I can do to
maintain or improve this score are:

*

*

*

Great workers sometimes do things that are exciting, excellent and exceptional. You can follow this path in your own way to create something special.

You can find out more about the Age Concern project in Preston at:

http://www.55plus.org.uk/age/welcome.asp

You can find out more about Katie Ledger’s work at:

http://www.talentnetwork.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=39