I often hear leaders say, “We want to build a culture of excellence.” I see similar language in mission and vision statements. Organizations want to be world-class, number one in their industry, or recognized as the best at what they do.
Those are admirable aspirations. But before you commit to that goal, you need to define what the word means in your business.
To me, excellence means consistently meeting an unusually demanding standard while continuing to improve. The bar is deliberately set high. You are asking people to deliver at a level beyond what would normally be expected. Achieving excellence is supposed to be difficult. That is one of the reasons so few people and organizations reach that level.
One test I use with clients is to ask several people across the company, “What does excellence mean here?”
Their answers do not need to be identical, but they should be similar. If you receive dramatically different responses, the organization does not have a shared definition of excellence.
There is nothing wrong with building a very good business filled with very good people. But if you decide you want to become one of the best in the world at what you do, the requirements change. The higher the standard, the greater the level of talent, commitment, discipline, and sustained performance needed to meet it.
Hiring someone who cannot perform at the necessary standard because you need to fill a position solves an immediate problem, but it creates a larger one. Bringing that person onto the team and accepting mediocre performance sends a clear signal that you are not serious about excellence.
Achieving world-class performance depends on a deliberate talent strategy.
Finding, attracting, hiring, growing, and retaining exceptional people cannot be treated as an HR responsibility or something leaders focus on only when a position becomes vacant. Senior leaders have to treat talent as essential to the success of the business. That does not mean everyone needs the same capabilities. A highly effective administrative assistant brings a different set of skills to the organization than a highly effective CFO. In either case, they need to be extremely talented at what they do.
Making talent a strategic priority takes a substantial investment of time, energy, effort, and money. To understand what highly talented people are looking for, I have conducted a global research study asking more than 10,000 high-potential employees why they choose to work where they do.
Their answers have been consistent. They want competitive compensation, but other factors are just as important. The list includes challenging, meaningful work, talented colleagues, a strong culture, opportunities to grow personally and professionally, and a workplace that treats them with fairness and compassion. Above all, they want to work for a leader they trust, respect, and admire.
If you want great people, you have to create a place where great people want to work.
It takes sustained attention and investment from senior leaders who understand that the quality of their talent will ultimately determine the quality of the company they can build.
Once you have talented people on the team, they need to know precisely what excellence looks like in their role.
Leaders must establish clear expectations, determine how performance will be measured, and make sure each person understands what is required of them. People must then be held fully accountable for meeting those expectations.
Accountability also needs to exist among team members.
When you bring together exceptional people, they want to perform at a high level and work alongside others who are equally committed. They expect their colleagues to do excellent work and to speak up when someone falls short. Over time, that shared sense of responsibility creates an environment where people push themselves and each other to maintain extraordinarily high standards.
Building a culture of excellence is a significant commitment. If that is what you want for your company, be clear about what it means and understand what it will require from you and your team. Talking about excellence is easy. Achieving it is not.
Organizations are expecting more from the people they bring in to speak.
A strong keynote still matters. But leaders are also looking for practical tools, planning support, useful takeaways, and someone who understands the pressure behind the event.
John Spence was named the 2026 Thinkers360 Thought Leader of the Year. He does not just walk on stage, deliver a keynote, and leave. He works with you as a trusted partner from the first planning conversation through the final follow-up.
