When was the last time you sat back and reflected on the legacy you’re leaving in your organization? What is the indelible mark that you are leaving on the organization? Has your productivity or leadership in the organization changed it for the better? Have you created your masterpiece yet?
Creating a masterpiece may be something you’ve never thought about within the context of Elite Performance Culture, but it has a place. In days gone by, creating a masterpiece was just the price of admission into the Guild of those practicing their craft at the highest levels. Please make no mistake about it. You must feel that whatever you’re doing daily is an important craft in its own right. Otherwise, why bother? In many ways, your output is being judged and held out by the organization as an example of what one might expect from the organization
Let’s take a moment to examine the term masterpiece itself. We often use the term in various contexts without thinking very much about what it means.
Originally, the term masterpiece referred to a piece of art produced by an apprentice or journeyman aspiring to become a master craftsman in the old European guild system. The person’s fitness to qualify for a Guild membership was judged partly by this masterpiece. If the apprentice was judged to be successful, the Guild retained the masterpiece as another symbol of the collective mastery and capability of the Guild. These masterpieces were a constant reminder of the extreme quality and high standards that potential patrons could expect from the organization.
So, back to the question at hand, are you even attempting to create your masterpiece? Let’s think of your masterpiece as a body of work that exemplifies the highest quality and most transformational productivity you’re capable of. That is what you would like to be judged upon by your peers, your competitors, and even your adversaries. This masterpiece could take any number of forms depending on where you are in the organizational team and what you want to be known for. This could be in the area of leadership, the demonstration of a particular skill at the highest level, or even in the area of followership. Not to digress, but every organization could benefit by having more individuals demonstrating masterful followership skills.
I started by asking several questions that required a great deal of introspection. I will wrap up one more such question. If you haven’t created your masterpiece or are not focused on creating a masterpiece, why should those that are already masters of their craft view you as a peer?… A valued equal, capable of the highest quality output. Maybe it’s time to roll up your sleeves, show the rest of the world what you can do, and produce your masterpiece.
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