Does your workplace espouse or profess a culture of excellence? If not, what makes it meaningful/worthwhile to you?

My company is an industry leader in essentially every market segment to which it belongs and, needless to say, excellence is highly encouraged and rewarded. It was a bit much for me when I did my first internship with the company and, after it ended, I left with no intentions of coming back. I worked for a couple of smaller and not as highly regarded companies, where the main goal was to just get the job done. I immediately started missing the culture of excellence of my current company and so, after finishing up with college, I returned for yet another internship. Now I’m statused full-time and plan on making my career here. I’m not leaving any time soon, I love this “bubble” of excellence and hard work.

I’m happy to report that premiership is our mission! While our services are absolutely client-focused, I, as overseer of all administrative services, work to build and maintain an excellent employment environment as well.

That environment extends well beyond the provision of competitive salaries and exceptional benefits, it’s really the culture of working together to leave behind something “greater” than ourselves that drives us. I’ve been privileged to have a supportive board of directors over the many years of growing the company; and when I retire, I will truly look back on this journey very much like a proud parent watching her adult child achieve success and happiness.

Mine former employer preached excellence. But like every other big company I ever worked for, it was more talk than fact.

The company I work for is the UK’s leader in it’s field and excellence isn’t just an aim, it’s required, of all employees. If you can’t provide excellence, they will let you go.

My work is a bar that is frequented by a lot of Warlocks and Pagans. Needless to say it’s not the sort of place that preaches excellence. I cook, it’s easy work, pays pretty well and allows me to get creative in the kitchen.

Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.
—Harriet Braiker

The large corporation that employees me is the industry leader in every vertical in which we compete. The best way I could explain our work culture is that people want to work here, and the people that do work here work very hard to stay here..and no one is ever content with with “good enough” or “getting it done”—it’s about making it right for the customer, delighting the customer and exceeding expectations at all times.
It’s refreshing to see that even though we are the market leader we are not content to sit back..we push the boundaries constantly to release the newest, best features..we act like a start-up company..eager to to add new functionality and partner with new customers…it’s unique to be so passionate and nimble with a company this large.

To expound on what Pachy said, worse than having no “excellence” policy at all is the company which sets up things like these ‘Good To Great’ training programs, while in reality having a history of shady (and at times illegal) business practices, exploitation of good employees, sexual harassment lawsuits, etc.

Sad. Pathetic, hypocritical and just sad…

Every company I’ve worked for in the past 12 years has had a very impressive culture and values statement, but it doesn’t mean that the people exhibit those values. The more that leadership reinforces (through goals and financial reward) those values, the more I’ve seen those values permeate through the company. Very few companies, truly exceed when it comes to excellence though. Too much mediocrity is tolerated – there doesn’t seem to be enough people out there who have the skills and work ethic to truly push for and achieve excellence.

Yes, and actually far too much, which leads to more ambitious objectives every year that can only be met by ruining people’s health or bending the rules. What I do is meaningful, because I’m aware of this and I can use my influence to change this when things get out of hand. Excellence is fine, but it means that people must still be able to deliver excellence in 10, 20 and 30 years from now. Excellence needs to be combined with a sense of proportion.

@Gabby101 describes my experience:
Every company big enough to have any sort of policy statement strives for excellence in it.
(There is probably a web site that will randomly select from sets of inspiring buzz-phrases and crank out a mission statement for you. Most of them seem to have been created in this fashion.)
Also that few companies actually back that up with excellence-promoting behavior in staffing and handling tough situations. Most management doesn’t really know how to cultivate it.

The company I work for now actually is a noticeable cut above most I’ve worked for and as @mattbrowne says they think long range, and people want to work there and stay there.

My organisation talks about excellence. I know they want us to strive for excellence. Their motivation is so they are placed higher in various rankings. I think if their motivation was more about helping their staff to perform to a higher level and achieve excellence, their activities would enable that process and outcome more effectively. For now, it feels like they demand excellence but their support and the environment in which to be excellent is lacking. Like someone holding a gun to your head and saying ‘be excellent’! Not really condusive to a good outcome.

“Think like an owner” is a new one making the rounds, intended to get us to care as if our lives depended on it. “Pay me like an owner” is my response to that.

More commonly than ever, it seems to be all about assigning more responsibility to fewer people for maximum profit. As these loyal employees burn-out from stress (or just become fed-up with general phony-baloney behavior), just replace them with another ‘go-getter’ with a “great attitude” (and of course at a lower monetary compensation).

Then smooth it all over with clever slogans, buzz-words, and platitudes which mean nothing, and only insult anyone who is in the habit of using their brain.

And don’t forget to label anyone who thinks independently as “not being a ‘team player’ ”.