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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and golajiving. This

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<v Speaker 1>is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellavledo.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>It's episode five seventy nine. Today, I want to talk

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<v Speaker 2>about something that has nothing to do with ORG charts,

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<v Speaker 2>titles or performance reviews, but has everything to do with

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<v Speaker 2>how elite standards are built and protected. Today we're talking

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<v Speaker 2>about Michelin Stars. And most people think Michelin Stars are

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<v Speaker 2>about fancy food, white tablecloths and plates that look like

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<v Speaker 2>art projects. That's the surface story. The deeper story is

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<v Speaker 2>one of discipline consistency in leadership standards that never Here's

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<v Speaker 2>the part most people don't know. The Michelin Star system

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<v Speaker 2>did not start as a restaurant award. It started as

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<v Speaker 2>a business move by the Michelin Brothers, founders of the

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<v Speaker 2>tire company that became Michelan. In the early nineteen hundreds,

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<v Speaker 2>they created the Michelin Guide to encourage people to drive more,

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<v Speaker 2>travel more, and of course, to wear out more tires.

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<v Speaker 2>They printed guides with maps, gas stations, hotels, and places

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<v Speaker 2>to eat restaurants came later. Eventually, the guide evolved into

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<v Speaker 2>the gold standard for restaurant excellence, now known worldwide as

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<v Speaker 2>the Michelin Guide. Here's where leadership shows up. Michelin inspectors

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<v Speaker 2>are anonymous, no warning, no press release, no second chances

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<v Speaker 2>built into the visit. They judge restaurants on the same

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<v Speaker 2>core standards every single time. Quality of ingredients, mastery of technique, consistency,

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<v Speaker 2>personality of the cuisine, value for the experience. No celebrity passes,

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<v Speaker 2>no excuses, no off nights. That alone should make every

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<v Speaker 2>leader uncomfortable. So let's break down what each Michelin star

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<v Speaker 2>actually means in the leadership Lesson hiding inside each one.

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<v Speaker 2>One Michelin star means a very good restaurant in its category.

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<v Speaker 2>That's it. One star does not mean perfect. It means

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<v Speaker 2>reliable excellence. If you show up on a random Tuesday,

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<v Speaker 2>you're going to get the same quality you'd get on

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<v Speaker 2>a Saturday night. The leadership Lesson this is a baseline trust.

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<v Speaker 2>One star leaders do the fundamentals well. They return calls,

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<v Speaker 2>they keep promises, they prepare before meetings. Their team knows

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<v Speaker 2>what version of them is walking through the door every day.

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<v Speaker 2>No mood swings, no leadership roulette. Most leaders never master

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<v Speaker 2>this level. They chase big ideas while skipping consistency. Michelin

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't reward potential, it rewards repeatable performance. Two Michelin stars

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<v Speaker 2>means excellent cooking worth a detour. Now we're talking about

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<v Speaker 2>something different. At this level, people change their plans to

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<v Speaker 2>experience you. They go out of their way. The leadership

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<v Speaker 2>lesson this is influence beyond position. Two star leaders are

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<v Speaker 2>the ones people want to work for, not because of

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<v Speaker 2>the title, but because of the experience. Their teams grow faster.

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<v Speaker 2>Their standards are clear. Feedback is direct, wins are shared,

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<v Speaker 2>Losses are owned. This leader does not rely on authority.

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<v Speaker 2>They've built credibility through action. People trust their judgment. That

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<v Speaker 2>trust was earned one day at a time. Three Michelin

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<v Speaker 2>stars is the highest level. Exceptional cuisine worth a special journey.

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<v Speaker 2>People plan vacations around these restaurants. They cross borders, they

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<v Speaker 2>save money, They make it an event. The leadership lesson

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<v Speaker 2>This is legacy level leadership. Three star leaders create environments

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<v Speaker 2>where excellence becomes cultural, not enforced. The team holds the

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<v Speaker 2>standards even when the leader is not present. The system's

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<v Speaker 2>work the expectations are understood without being repeated. That is

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<v Speaker 2>where leadership stops being about the individual and starts being

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<v Speaker 2>about the organization functioning at a high level on its own.

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<v Speaker 2>But here's the critical part. Michelin stars can be lost.

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<v Speaker 2>There are chefs who cried when they earned a star

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<v Speaker 2>and cried harder when they lost one. Why because the

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<v Speaker 2>standard never relaxed. Michelin does not care about your past reputation.

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<v Speaker 2>The only care about today's performance. That's leadership reality. Your

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<v Speaker 2>past success buys you nothing tomorrow. Your title protects nothing.

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<v Speaker 2>Your history does not excuse drift everyday. Leaders can apply

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<v Speaker 2>this in simple, uncomfortable ways. First, inspect what you expect.

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<v Speaker 2>Michelin Inspectors don't announce themselves. Leaders who rely on scheduled

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<v Speaker 2>audits miss the truth, walk the floor, sit in on

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<v Speaker 2>real conversations. Watch how work happens when no one thinks

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<v Speaker 2>they're being watched. Second, consistency beats intensity. Michelin stars are

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<v Speaker 2>not awarded for occasional brilliance. They are awarded for reliable excellence.

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<v Speaker 2>Stop celebrating heroics that fix problems leadership allowed to exist. Third,

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<v Speaker 2>protect standards quietly. Michelin doesn't advertise their process us they

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<v Speaker 2>let outcome speak. Leaders who constantly talk about standards usually

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<v Speaker 2>are not enforcing them. Fourth, except that standards cost something.

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<v Speaker 2>Michelin level excellence is expensive time, energy, discipline, hard conversations.

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<v Speaker 2>Leaders who want elite outcomes without discomfort are just lying

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<v Speaker 2>to themselves. And here's the hidden lesson most people miss. Michelin.

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<v Speaker 2>Stars are not about impressing everyone. They're about serving a

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<v Speaker 2>standard faithfully, even when no one is clapping. That's leadership

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<v Speaker 2>one oh one. If you want Michelin level leadership, ask

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<v Speaker 2>yourself this. If someone evaluated your leadership anonymously on a

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<v Speaker 2>random day, with no warning, would they experience excellence or excuses?

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<v Speaker 2>That answer tells you everything you need to know. So

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<v Speaker 2>leadership is not built during speeches or strategy sessions. It's

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<v Speaker 2>built absolutely in the invisible moments when no one is watching.

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<v Speaker 2>Elite leaders do not chase stars or trophies. They protect standards.

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<v Speaker 2>The stars will follow naturally. That mindset, applied daily quietly

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<v Speaker 2>separates average leaders from unforgettable ones. This has been the

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<v Speaker 2>seven Minute Leadership Podcast, and I thank you for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>For more, Paul fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot

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<v Speaker 1>com