Olympian Expectations Escalate or Die

"There are five interlinked components of Olympian expectations: •  Expectations are set much higher than is normal. •  Thinking big – not concerned with details but with changing the big picture. •  Being unreasonably demanding of self and others – the standards had jolly well better be met, without exceptions or excuses. •  Progressive escalation of expectations over time – no resting on laurels; more like an ever-expanding sliver of razored ice1 in the soul demanding ever-greater success. •  The expectations are unique to the individual and can be succinctly expressed. For instance, Leonardo – ‘perfect paintings’; Churchill – ‘stop Hitler’; Thatcher – ‘reverse national decline’."

"Therefore, set your expectations as high as you possibly can, consistent with believing they can be realised. If you want unreasonable success, you must have completely unreasonable expectations. The ceiling on your future is the most you can imagine and expect."

"Yet a great truth can be compatible with its opposite. We are looking at people of unreasonable attainment, who start with the vision of their personal greatness and then work backwards to fill in the necessary intermediate steps. Because of their unusual self-confidence and aspiration to greatness, the higher the standards they set, the greater the possible achievement."

"What does Bezos believe? •  High standards can be taught. If you start with a highstandards team, newcomers will quickly adapt. •  High standards are domain-specific. ‘When I started Amazon,’ Bezos says, ‘I had high standards on inventing, customer care, and hiring. But I didn’t have high standards on operational process … I had to learn and develop high standards on all that (my colleagues were my tutors).’ •  High standards result in better products and services for customers. But less obviously, ‘people are drawn to high standards – they help with recruiting and retention’. •  ‘And finally, high standards are fun! Once you’ve tasted high standards, there’s no going back.’"