I strongly believe that standards are what make the world go round.
Standards are the difference between one organization and another. We all have them. We just have varying levels of them. A standard in one firm is going to be different from a standard in another firm. Everybody has their own definition of “world-class.”
I think of standards as the minimum that you are willing to tolerate: minimum behavior, minimum output, minimum performance. You define what that is — but the work doesn’t stop there. Those standards must be continually reinforced.
This plays out differently in different organizations. There are some that we regard as having high standards:
- The Four Seasons or The Ritz-Carlton, both of which we regard as having high standards in the hospitality space
- Apple, which we regard as having high standards in the consumer tech space
- The New England Patriots, the University of Alabama, and the University of Georgia — all of which have their high standards to thank for winning multiple championships
- Rolls-Royce, which we regard as having high standards in the auto manufacturing space
Why do some vehicles get produced with more defects than Rolls-Royce?
Why doesn’t every sports team win a championship every single season?
Why isn’t every phone on the market as popular as the iPhone?
Why don’t we expect the same level of customer service at every hotel?
It’s because different organizations — in every field — have different standards.
The people founding, running, and working in those organizations have different motivations and different levels of commitment, and high standards require a greater level of commitment than low standards. I think it starts there.
There are organizations that are willing to do more and to dedicate more time, more money, and more resources to operating in a certain way.
To certain organizations that are more ambitious, it’s not acceptable to just get by. They want to have a higher place in the market.
To certain sports teams that are more ambitious, it’s not acceptable to just have a winning season. They go for a Super Bowl or ensure they make it to the playoffs every single season. That’s a standard they’ve defined.
But how does it start? How does an organization go from a low standard to a high standard?
Historically, I believe this happens when a person or a group of individuals come into an organization and they get angry. They can no longer imagine maintaining that certain level of existence any longer. They decide that low standards are to come to an end and high standards are the new normal.
Once you have those standards, it means that you are unwilling to accept any less. Basically, standards aren’t just the fact that you put some poster on the wall or simply said something is the standard.
Standards only work when they’re reinforced.
If you define a standard that the day begins at 9 AM, someone comes in at 9:05 AM and that’s acceptable — your standard is not actually to begin at 9 AM. Your standard is 9:05 AM.
So what are your standards for your organization really?
