Module 7
Business Excellence
“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We
do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but
we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We
are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act
but a habit.”
Aristotle
Business Excellence
and just to think, it all started with a hamster...
Sitting in the boardroom at Disneyland’s International Headquarters is a gold
picture frame with the quote “I only hope that we don't lose sight of one
thing - that all this started with a mouse” – Walt Disney. This helps keep
the day to day running of their business in perspective and encourages the
team at all levels to always remember their company’s roots.
Mark Mitchell began his entrepreneurial life, aged 8, when his pet hamster
gave birth to a litter of seven, absolutely clueless to where they had come
from ! This provided a business opportunity not to be missed and within
hours they were taken to market (the school playground) and sold to the
highest bidders. From that day on, Mark just knew one thing… that lowered
lighting and soft music (together with two eager hamsters) would “produce
the goods”!
“Don’t forget, all this started with a hamster” is a gentle reminder for us
too. We never take the success of our business for granted.
Business Excellence
Questions to Consider
What did you find most interesting in watching the story of
Mark and the Mitchell Group?
How do you look after staff? How could your staff
management be improved?
What numbers do you manage?
What problems are you currently facing? How are you
seeking to address those problems?
Business Excellence
Questions to Consider
How hard do you work? Too hard or about right.
Do you have an accountability partner? How do they help?
What did you think to Mark’s application of his faith in the
business?
How do you feel about applying a portion of profit to good
causes?
How do you view Mark’s decision to not work on Sunday’s?
Business Excellence
Questions to Consider
What does success look like?
How do you celebrate success?
What does ‘business excellence’ convey to you in the context
of your own business?
How could you improve your customer service?
Business Excellence
Questions to Consider
How do you keep in contact with customers?
What are your competitors doing that is causing a problem?
What would you like to stop doing?
What does your exit strategy look like?