All excellent teams, organizations and leaders have this one thing in common. A commitment that is larger and more powerful than their individual feelings or discomfort. It’s a set of beliefs and a common purpose that is intrinsically important to the leader, the team and the organization.
The more present a person, team or organization is to the highest minded purpose, the more excellent that team will be.

Sometimes it’s circumstances or tragedies that bring people around a common purpose, things like the 9/11 terrorist attacks that rallied people, governments and countries around a singular purpose, or perhaps a sick child or crisis in the company.

The best leaders, teams and organizations aren’t just excellent when there is a crisis, they build a sustainable, consistent culture of excellence, where people are consistently present to the larger purpose that they and the organization serve.

The Ritz Carlton’s level of service is remarkable and consistent because they have created a culture around who they are committed to being for their customers. Leaders from top to bottom work to instill this culture and hire people who are intrinsically committed to these values. They build a team of people who are committed to expressing the highest purpose of its credo.

The Credo

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel is a place where the genuine care and comfort of our guests is our highest mission.

We pledge to provide the finest personal service and facilities for our guests who will always enjoy a warm, relaxed, yet refined ambience.

The Ritz-Carlton experience enlivens the senses, instills well-being, and fulfills even the unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests.

A leader’s primary job is to continue to presence and enroll his or her’s team in the primary mission of the individual, team or organization.

Excellence is a culture that gets created when people are aware of and operating from their high minded commitments.

At the Ritz Carlton, their employees aren’t just providing high service because they get paid to, they are providing it, and routinely going above and beyond, because they genuinely care about providing the people they serve and extraordinary experience. They genuinely enjoy serving others to enhance their wellbeing, enjoyment and overall experience.

When the purpose of the organization and the purpose of the people in the organization are aligned, there is no better recipe for excellence.

To build a culture of excellence it’s a holistic effort from the highest leader to the most junior. It’s about creating a common purpose that informs all aspects of the organization’s actions.