Whoever plans on being excellent in a country like Uganda, where mediocrity is more common, must teach it to themselves.
As a young Ugandan, you must do away with the illusion that somehow, sometime, somewhere, you will find yourself in an environment that will teach you excellence. You might, for sure, but you stand a better chance betting on yourself.
Institutionalized excellence is very rare.
Mediocrity, cutting corners, incompetence, and lethargy on the other hand, are the norm -having infiltrated almost every crevice of society. Very few people are willing to exert themselves even an inch to do a good job or the right thing.
Yet, there is something that feels inherently right and good about seeing things happen well, and on time. You feel it in a restaurant where you are served well, or when a customer service agent handles your complaint professionally. You know how it feels when a business fails you yet take all the steps to correct their error and restore the business relationship. You know, inherently, that the expectation and desire for excellence is not a demand for perfection but only a plea for the establishment to act like they care. That is all.
Yet the pervasive attitude of doing the bare minimum, communicating without much of a care, and behaving towards one’s own job like it is a bother is so prevalent that we have come to accept it as part of how we live and operate as a society.
You, dear reader, do not have to be this person. Set your own standard of excellence, and deliver – for your own sake.
While it will be frustrating often, excellence will often reward and prominently so. You have to make the active choice to be a person of excellence. You are not aiming for perfection, but doing your best whenever a task is set in front of you.
For your own personal satisfaction and reward, train yourself to be a person of excellence. In your actions, and communication, give it your very best. Never fall for the deception that excellence does not matter. It does.
Forget about who is not being excellent and pursue those who are trying to be. Follow those, and learn from them. You will be forever set apart.
As a young Ugandan, you must do away with the illusion that somehow, sometime, somewhere, you will find yourself in an environment that will teach you excellence. You might, for sure, but you stand a better chance betting on yourself.
Institutionalized excellence is very rare.
Mediocrity, cutting corners, incompetence, and lethargy on the other hand, are the norm -having infiltrated almost every crevice of society. Very few people are willing to exert themselves even an inch to do a good job or the right thing.
Yet, there is something that feels inherently right and good about seeing things happen well, and on time. You feel it in a restaurant where you are served well, or when a customer service agent handles your complaint professionally. You know how it feels when a business fails you yet take all the steps to correct their error and restore the business relationship. You know, inherently, that the expectation and desire for excellence is not a demand for perfection but only a plea for the establishment to act like they care. That is all.
Yet the pervasive attitude of doing the bare minimum, communicating without much of a care, and behaving towards one’s own job like it is a bother is so prevalent that we have come to accept it as part of how we live and operate as a society.
You, dear reader, do not have to be this person. Set your own standard of excellence, and deliver – for your own sake.
While it will be frustrating often, excellence will often reward and prominently so. You have to make the active choice to be a person of excellence. You are not aiming for perfection, but doing your best whenever a task is set in front of you.
For your own personal satisfaction and reward, train yourself to be a person of excellence. In your actions, and communication, give it your very best. Never fall for the deception that excellence does not matter. It does.
Forget about who is not being excellent and pursue those who are trying to be. Follow those, and learn from them. You will be forever set apart.
