Erosion

Citation

Hensler, D. (2001), "Erosion", Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 5 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/mbe.2001.26705caa.001

Erosion

Erosion

Dirt and granite erode at different rates. The reason for this is that, for the same mass, the bonds that hold dirt together are weaker than the bonds that hold granite together. The same goes for our core characters. So, each of us has to ask whether our character is made of dirt or of granite.

Now, the fact is that over time nearly everything erodes. Perhaps an individual starts out with a mass of dirt, given birth and early years environment. Most do not, however; and so each of us is challenged to monitor our character erosion rates.

Does this mean that if a person lives long enough that person's character will be washed away? Not at all. In fact, there are decisions and behavior that one can choose that will help protect our core character masses from significant erosion.

Does this mean that one would want to maintain the sharply chiseled character with which one enters adolescence? Probably not, particularly if one has been raised with super high standards. Why is this? Well, a person raised that way has very high expectations in life, expectations that are often the source of disappointment in oneself and in others. And we have all heard people speaking in absolutes. "That is totally wrong." "There is no way we can do this." "That is a complete mess."

The point is that aging gracefully has a great deal to do with smoothing the rough edges of one's character while maintaining one's core character values. So, while one would hope to start out with granite, one would also like to end up with something very nicely chiseled, then "washed" smooth around the edges.

Nice ideals, but what does this have to do with business excellence, or quality for that matter. First, excellence is a standard likely never to be achieved. This is so because the bar can always be raised, and it is always raised. That is the matter of growth, personally and economically. Second, and more to the point, business excellence starts with individuals striving for excellence. An individual striving for excellence starts with that person striving for personal excellence, the essence of character.

While many will subscribe to business excellence and quality, how many of those go about achieving business excellence through personal excellence goals. How easy it is to say, "Do it or else!" How difficult it is to work for broad and deep understanding of the organisation's vision and strategy in a way that makes what needs doing get done without saying.

While we struggle to understand what business excellence is, we do know that it is not some mystical, indefinable state. We know this because we know where to start our unending quest for business excellence. The quest starts with personal excellence and the challenge is to not let the winds and rivers carrying life's events erode our core characters away.

Doug HenslerJoint Editor