We are what we repeatedly do therefore Excellence, is not an act but a habit" - Artistotle

Excellence

"As nursing professionals, we certainly have a responsibility to strive for excellence in our own practice.  Excellence and leadership are blended concepts with the idea of professional involvement throughout ones career as a means to promote nursing and create a preferred  future for our profession" (Grossman, 2009, p. 181)

Lets first understand what excellence looks like: 

Excellence means

• Striving to be the very best in everything that you do because you cannot image functioning in any other way.
• Setting high standards for yourself and holding yourself to those standards despite challenges
• Not being satisfied with anything less than the very best
• Individuals do not and will not settle for second best, mediocre performance or just getting by
• Individuals question and challenge the status quo by asking why things are done the way they are, examining the assumptions that underline existing practices and offering realistic alternatives

And what represents excellence?

Excellence Involves

Discipline, Choreography, Responsibility, Caring, Skepticism, Perseverance & Passion

I LOVED one of the passages from the book The New Leadership Challenge Creating the Future of Nursing by Sheila Grossman, 

"we must learn to honor excellence in every socially accepted human activity.  An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher.  The society that scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water" (Grossman, 2009, p.185).  

I thought this was an exceptional quote because it made me reflect on how everything that we do, even in society revolves around a TEAM.  Every discipline within the team is as important as the next.  We need to start appreciating more and realizing that we all need each other.  We all have our place in society where we personally excel whether its being a mother, or a farmer; we are all willing participants working towards the same goal, a well functioning and productive society.  

"If we are not striving for excellence we are selling ourselves short, and doing little to advance the profession of nursing and ensuring quality of care"(Grossman, 2009, p. 183)

Please view this inspirational video.  It is absolutely wonderful!!

Motivational Video Inspires Excellence

"Excellence can be attained by...

CARING more than others think is wise, RISKING more than others think is safe, DREAMING more than others think is practical, and EXPECTING more than others think is possible.

(Grossman, 2009, 191)

I encourage you to, as nurses and future nurses to take on the challenge of bringing excellence and leadership with you into the nursing profession and into your own personal lives.

What will you do to promote and contribute to excellence in your field of practice? 

Reference
Grossman, S. C., & Valiga, T. M. (2009). The new leadership challenge: creating the future of nursing, 3e.  Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company