Top performers continuously improve

Whether you know us personally or only from our emails and social media, you probably know that we work with organisations to deliver sustainable performance improvement. But, did you know that our purpose is to inspire continuous improvement in organisations that have a social purpose?  

But why continuous improvement? And why do we believe it’s the best way to deliver sustainable performance improvement?  

Well, much like becoming an elite runner, getting there is theoretically simple. You need to train regularly, you need support (a coach), and you need to fuel yourself properly. In practice it is of course much harder as it relies on the formation of new habits, discipline, and patience because transformational results take time.  

Becoming an elite organisation is no different, it’s simple in theory but really hard to do, especially in a western culture that often expects instant results. 

Below are some of the many reasons we think everyone should commit to continuous improvement.

1. You get competitive advantage

Top performing companies don’t focus on their competition. Instead they focus on continuously improving, problem-solving, refining, and innovating for themselves. A culture that delivers lots of small incremental improvements will organically achieve a competitive advantage, and outperform any competition there is. 

2. Adaptable to change

When a continuous improvement mindset is embedded in your company culture it makes any type of change, whether planned or unplanned, easier to manage. One reason for this is because your people are outcome focused. Additionally, you will naturally begin to create the mechanisms and frameworks that give everyone the autonomy and avenues to experiment and make changes.

3. Job satisfaction

People love to improve. Fact. It’s one of the reasons people play musical instruments or sports. You can bring that sense of accomplishment and fulfilment into the workplace. In a continuous improvement organisation everyone has at least two jobs; the job you were hired to do, and to improve the job you were hired to do. Where continuous improvement is the norm, people increasingly accept the job of helping the organisation make a greater impact as a whole. By empowering your people you’ll notice better staff retention and find it easier to recruit.

Never underestimate the power of incremental improvements, just ask any elite athlete. If you need help with creating a culture of continuous improvement in your organisation, ask Ad Esse. Email hello@ad-esse.com.