To be the best

What does being the best mean to you? Thousands of people and companies strive to be the best in their respective fields, but what many lack is the understanding of what it means to be the best, and a plan on how to become or remain the best.

Being the best means being the best at every single little aspect of what it is that you do. The process starts by identifying the components of your product and/or service, listing those components, what those components entail, and detailing what being the best means for each of those components. You can study competitors and even other industries to define where they are the best and what makes them the best. Finally, build a plan for becoming the best at each component. Don't be afraid to list even the simplest of components, like how staff answer the phone – EVERYTHING has an impact.

It sounds incredibly simple, and it actually is, but it is amazing how many companies never take the time to do this exercise. Often companies become the best in their industry by chance, but not having a detailed plan for remaining at the top can lead to a speedy fall.

Here is the perfect example of how this works: Tiger Woods is the #1 golfer in the world, and is already regarded as the best golfer ever. Tiger knew from a young age that to become and eventually remain as the best golfer, he would need to be the best at every single component of the sport, and even beyond the confines of the sport. Golf, like business, can be broken down into components: driving, iron shots, bunker shots, putting, etc. To be the best, Tiger aims to be the best at each of these components and the combined effect of that has put him at the top. But Tiger is now a brand, and that too was not by accident. Tiger added to his list things like press interviews, charity events, fan recognition, and many more. Not only does he work at the components of his golf game, he works hard at all the other components that a celebrity sports person needs. The brand that is Tiger Woods has been worked at and improved on a continuous basis, and the results speak for themselves.

If you want to be the best at what you do, you need to be the best at every single part of who you are and what you do. The combined effect of that is what defines you.