I once worked with a company where everyone did their job—but nothing more.
Deadlines were met, but barely.
Ideas were shared, but only safe ones.
Decisions were made, but always the easy ones.
When I asked the leadership team why, they shrugged. “Our people are okay with ‘good enough.’”
And that was the real problem.
Not failure. Not incompetence. Just… average.
This is what happens when culture eats strategy for breakfast.
You can have the best plans, the boldest goals, the sharpest execution strategies—but if your culture rewards staying comfortable over striving for excellence, you’re going nowhere.
Want to break free? Want a team that moves fast, executes relentlessly, and refuses to settle?
Do these 10 things.
Great leaders aren’t born—they’re built, habit by habit.
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1. Set a Standard So High It Feels Uncomfortable
Most teams work to the level that’s expected of them. If the bar is low, they’ll meet it. If the bar is high, they’ll stretch.1
When I work with leadership teams, I ask:
“What would make you uncomfortable—but excited—at the same time?”
That’s the level we set. Because when expectations rise, performance follows.
↳ Make the bar for success so clear and compelling that no one can ignore it.
2. Kill “Good Enough” Language
Mediocre cultures don’t call themselves mediocre. Instead, they use words like:
“That’s how we’ve always done it.”
“At least it works.”
“No need to change if it isn’t broken.”
The best leaders refuse this language.
They don’t let “okay” work pass as great. They challenge people to rethink, improve, and take things further.
↳ When someone says, “This is fine,” ask, “Is it our best?”
3. Reward Speed, Not Just Perfection
In many organizations, people play it safe because they fear making mistakes. They hesitate, they overthink, and they slow down.
I once worked with a startup founder who had a different rule:
“Speed beats perfection. If you make a mistake, fix it fast. If you don’t move at all, that’s the real failure.”
The result? His team outpaced bigger competitors—not because they were smarter, but because they executed faster.
↳ Create a culture where moving forward—fast—is more important than waiting to be perfect.
4. Make Excellence a Habit, Not an Event
Most companies talk about excellence only when they need to impress investors, launch a new product, or hit a big target.
But in high-performance cultures, excellence is a daily habit—not just something you do when it’s convenient.
↳ Ask every team: “What’s one thing we can improve this week?” Small, consistent improvements build unstoppable momentum.
5. Develop a Bias for Execution
I once worked with a leadership team that had a brilliant strategy session. Big ideas. Bold goals.
Three months later? Nothing had changed.
Why? Because strategy without execution is just wishful thinking.
↳ Train your team to ask: “What are we doing today to move this forward?” Without immediate action, vision stays just a dream.
6. Reinforce the Right Values—Daily
A company’s values don’t live in the posters on the wall. They live in what gets rewarded—and what gets ignored.
If you reward speed, people move faster.
If you celebrate ownership, people step up.
If you tolerate mediocrity, mediocrity spreads.
↳ Be ruthless about reinforcing the behaviors you want. Culture is built in what you tolerate and what you celebrate.
7. Discipline Over Motivation
Too many organizations rely on motivation. They hold pep talks, run workshops, and expect people to feel inspired enough to perform.
Motivation is great. But discipline? That’s what separates the great from the average.
↳ Create routines, not just moments of inspiration. Set clear, disciplined habits that drive results every day.
8. Make Agility a Core Strength
Slow-moving teams stay stuck in meetings, overanalyze everything, and hesitate to make decisions.
But agility isn’t just about moving fast. It’s about making decisions with confidence, adapting quickly, and taking bold action.
↳ Give people permission to act. Train them to adjust fast when things change. A culture that waits for approval is a culture that falls behind.
9. Influence Through Action, Not Words
I’ve seen leaders demand excellence from their teams—while they show up late, miss deadlines, and avoid hard conversations.
That never works. People don’t follow what leaders say. They follow what they see.
↳ Want a team that’s bold, focused, and high-performing? Be that leader. Show, don’t tell.
10. Make Winning Normal
In many workplaces, success feels like a rare event—something that happens once in a while.
High-performance cultures make winning the norm. They set the expectation that excellence isn’t special—it’s just how they operate.
↳ Create a habit of winning. Celebrate small wins. Make progress visible. People rise to the level that feels normal.
Your Culture Will Make or Break You
A brilliant strategy won’t survive in a culture that tolerates mediocrity.
The real difference between high-performing teams and stagnant ones?
Not just talent. Not just processes. It’s culture.
Set the standard. Raise the bar. Challenge mediocrity at every level.
Because when “good enough” is gone, greatness takes its place.
Want to Cut Through the Noise and Focus on What Actually Drives Results?2
Culture shapes everything. But focus is what makes it work.
Read Make the Vision Unmistakably Clear next—because clarity creates execution.
- The comfort zone is a silent career killer. Don’t kill the career of your people. ↩︎
- Here’s a team building workshop that can help you focus on results. ↩︎
