University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Think Excellence
Book

Think Excellence

Harnessing Your Power to Succeed Beyond Greatness

Chaim Y. Botwinick
Brown Books, 2011
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Business has become so competitive that people increasingly regard superior performance as the expected norm. Just being good at what you do isn’t enough anymore. So how do you upgrade yourself and your efforts? Educator Chaim Y. Botwinick answers that question, and many more, in this short, supportive book with a foreword by Stephen R. Covey. Botwinick outlines nine thoughtful “power principles” and tells you how to use them to achieve your best work. getAbstract recommends his straightforward, logical advice to anyone who feels a little stuck on the road to excellence.

Summary

The “Nine Power Principles”

Success in the modern business world requires excellence. Just doing well is no longer enough. You must be the best performer you can be, the best person for the job. In every aspect of your life, think “more boldly, creatively, tactically and strategically.” Strive for “pinnacle moments that inspire, encourage and support excellence.” To achieve your highest potential, incorporate the nine power principles in all that you do.

Power Principle One: “Always Target Your Power Goals”

Fully define your goals. Make them measurable. Use “TARGET” as an acronym for defining effective goals. They should be “timely” (completed by a set date), “attainable” (you can achieve them), “realistic” (avoid magical thinking), “guided” (set an exact direction), “enduring” (apply them over time) and “tangible” (specific and concrete). Devote time to pursuing your goals. Make a “power map” of your objectives to set the path you will follow to accomplish them.

To begin, chart the way ahead (think of it as your “planning path”) in two tracks: the work activities you will undertake and the outcomes you want to achieve. Determine what resources you will...

About the Author

Chaim Y. Botwinick is president and CEO of the Center for Advancement of Jewish Education at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. He was an adviser to the President’s National Commission on the Holocaust. This book is available through its website, thinkexcellencenow.com, or as an ebook.

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