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Honesty in intent, ability to lead from front, preparedness to take responsibility and thorough professional attitude are the attributes of excellence in service delivery and enhanced reputation resulting in sustainability and profitability.

Intent is what one has in mind and not what it shows or others could apparently see. The meditative posture of the stork is not motivated by a selfless alienation from the material world but it is the exact opposite; disguising as calm and quite secluded hermit and catch the oblivious fish to feed itself. Now the stork can be honest to its own intent but its disguise to achieve what it wants is neither honest nor has a pure intent, though natural.

One can be a great performer but Ability to Lead is something different. Alexander the Great has said it all when he is famously quoted as… “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion…” A Role Model is someone who inspire others. Leadership skills are collection of personal characteristics such as – Creativity, Empathy, Fortitude, Generosity, Knowledge, Passion, Persistence, Shrewdness, Vision, Wisdom and unwavering Faith in the undertaking. Leadership is not a position, it is an attitude and one who has this attitude could never settle for anything mediocre.

With due respect to learned critiques, to criticize a thing that has already happened and is readily available for analysis is ‘easier said than done’ in its truest sense and it is even easier to complain about anything instead of doing something to change it. That might count as being Practical but it is not the way to be ‘Smart’ for sure. Being Smart is being prepared to – ask questions, offer solutions, take action while Assuming Responsibility of the outcome. Experimenting with something is definitely a way of finding a solution to a situation, provided that the experimenter is prepared to accept the responsibility of the outcome of the experiment, whether positive or negative. Being Mahatma, therefore, requires to ‘Be the change you want to see in the world…!’

Professionalism has nothing to do with commercials. Like Leadership, it is also an attitude to look at anything and a delivering style of working towards predefined objectives. Professionalism is about commitment, it is about being effective and efficient in each of one’s undertakings. More importantly, professionalism is about keeping your emotions at bay while you are on a ‘work’ that you have accepted as a job on whatever terms in whichever situation; it is about applying your mind without sentiment, brain without prejudice and being without egotism, to the responsibility you committed to shoulder. It is performing beyond compliance and achieving despite incentives.

A legend has it that Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, in spite of being informed about death of his son while he was in the middle of writing editorial for his newspaper, finished it before leaving for home. That is being a thorough professional! However it doesn’t necessarily imply to be a heartless or unfeeling person, it simply underlines the importance of your commitment towards your undertakings vis-à-vis your personal matters that should never take precedence over your lawful duty and larger responsibility for common good.

These 4 are the ingredients for a recipe called ‘Excellence’ and it could be prepared in the pot of 'Awareness' that would hold it all together and fire of 'Consistency' that would provide the heat required to boil a nutritious broth. Excellence is not an item on the wish-list nor is it something that could be brought; it’s a quality that is achieved with great effort and maintained with relentless practice. But once it becomes the habit; reputation, sustainability and profitability all fall in line. It is better to exercise as a daily routine than having a stressed and hectic lifestyle to earn all that money which would ultimately go to Therapies, Medicines and Tranquilizers in one form or other.

If you get the point, start NOW… Way to go!