Meet Bob, a Business Owner Like Many Others

Bob is a seasoned business owner, known among friends for his dedication to his craft and his commitment to delivering quality. One Saturday afternoon, he set out to shop for a specialized service he needed. He had high hopes—this company had good reviews, after all. But to his disappointment, the experience was anything but satisfying. He faced long waits, indifferent staff, and confusing answers to his questions. Frustrated, Bob left, wondering why so many businesses seem to fall short of even basic expectations.

As he drove home, his thoughts simmered. Why was great service so hard to find these days? Was this just a societal issue, or were businesses losing sight of what matters most? The questions kept coming, and Bob found himself brooding about how underperformance seemed to be creeping into every corner of the marketplace.

A Startling Reality Check

When Bob arrived home, he checked his email. Waiting for him was a new review notification—for his own business. This time, it wasn’t another five-star rating. It was two stars, with comments about delays, communication issues, and the lackluster service Bob had hoped he’d never be known for.

The review hit hard. Bob felt the sting of seeing his company, once built on excellence, now facing the same frustrations he had just experienced as a customer. That was not the dream he’d worked so hard to build.

A New Perspective: The Quest for Excellence

Determined to understand where things had gone wrong, Bob dove deep into his company’s recent performance, and one word kept coming up: underperformance. It wasn’t just a single employee or department; it was a pervasive issue—a culture of "just enough" that had settled in, eating away at his vision of excellence. He realized he needed to go beyond quick fixes; he needed a cultural overhaul.

The Transformation Begins

Bob began addressing underperformance at its root, setting clearer expectations, investing in training, and fostering accountability at every level. He built a high-trust environment where each employee felt valued and equipped to contribute their best. Slowly but surely, the changes started to take hold.

Customer reviews began to reflect the improvements. Instead of three-star frustrations, his business saw a wave of five-star praise. Employee satisfaction rose as well, with lower turnover and stronger collaboration within teams. And for Bob, it was a reminder of why he had started his business in the first place—to create something remarkable, where excellence was the standard, not the exception.

From Great to Good Enough

Every company begins with a drive for excellence and impact. But as Jim Collins highlighted in Good to Great, few rise to lasting greatness; instead, many unintentionally drift from great to "good enough." This slow erosion of excellence often goes unnoticed until underperformance takes root.

For leaders like Bob, who once saw excellence as their organization’s hallmark, this “virus” of underperformance can be a painful wake-up call. Most employees want to contribute meaningfully and be recognized for great work—but if excellence is missing, it often points to deeper, systemic issues.

So why is the pursuit of excellence so elusive?

• Misaligned Vision: Employees want to feel they’re making a difference—not just boosting profits. When a company’s vision doesn’t connect with this, they become disengaged, seeing their work as just a job instead of meaningful impact.
• Inconsistent Behaviors:  Inconsistency in actions versus promises quickly undermines trust. When leaders say one thing but do another, employees feel misled, making it hard to stay motivated or committed.

• Lack of Appreciation: Recognition drives excellence. When hard work goes unnoticed or poor performance is ignored, employees start to ask, “Why bother?” Over time, this lack of appreciation erodes the pursuit of excellence.

 In the absence of these elements, employees feel demotivated, and “good enough” becomes the standard. Customers sense it too—they experience the effects of a company that’s lost its drive for greatness.

But, there is a solution.  

Using a methodology called Relational Influence, we can effectively interact with the Human Operating System to influence lasting behavioral changes that lead to desired outcomes.

This methodology blends trust and action together to create traction so we can move forward to new levels of excellence.

Trust + Action = Traction