Institute for NP Excellence?? What is meant by "Excellence"?
What does excellence mean to you? And how does excellence differ from leadership?
While leadership is wrapped up in excellence, excellence itself is more personal. It is something to be pursued at all stages of life or career, without regard to inspiring others, per se. It is shaping your destiny whether you are in 1:1 practice of some skill or behavior. That said, if your behavior is influencing others or becoming a leader, then excellence is relevant and very important to leadership.
Excellence: as in “I want to be better at XYZ!”
Leadership: as in “Come along with me and we can make XYZ better!”
Excellence is not a one and done skill. It is a mindset that involves a vision of where you want to be, what you want to accomplish, making a commitment to cultivate a skill.
Again, I like quotes that demonstrate how concepts such as excellence have been considered for ages—and by minds much more brilliant than mine! In fact, Excellence is a topic Aristotle considered:
Aristotle on pursuit of excellence:
- We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
- Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution.
And even Vince Lombardi:
- Practice does not make perfect, Only perfect practice makes perfect.
Any virtue, merit, skill you want to attain is developed through practice and consistency. It’s not enough to simply practice something. It must be practiced with purpose, correctly, while seeking to enhance with each effort.
Remember, NPs like other disciplines are prepared at "entry level". We are prepared to meet required competencies, successfully complete certification, and begin practice. But beyond this, whose responsibility is your improvement? YOURS!
We are all expected to be lifelong learners. Our patients expect us to be excellent clinicians.
- Excellence takes time
- Excellence takes practice
Take time to reflect on your abilities? No time available? Schedule it on your calendar. What do you do well? What could you improve? In your current practice/position? Planning ahead for your career roadmap? Think beyond "clinical" (although "clinical" for clinicians is ALWAYS important).
Identify a skill or activity on which to become a high performer. Then set a goal and take time and effort to achieve the goal.