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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 goal achieving.

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<v Speaker 1>This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host

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<v Speaker 1>Paul Fellavaliedo.

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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 four eighty Today. I want to talk about

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<v Speaker 2>something that every business has, but not every business truly understands. Standards.

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<v Speaker 2>We throw that word around all the time, standards of service,

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<v Speaker 2>standards of performance, industry standards. But what does it really mean?

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<v Speaker 2>How are standards created, who decides what they should be,

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<v Speaker 2>and more importantly, how do we as leaders teach them

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<v Speaker 2>in a way that our employees not only understand, but

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<v Speaker 2>actually care about. So let's break this down. At its core,

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<v Speaker 2>a standard is simply an agreed upon measure of performance.

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<v Speaker 2>It's the bar that says this is the minimum expectation.

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<v Speaker 2>For example, let's say the standard is to run a

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<v Speaker 2>mile in eight minutes. Where did that number come from?

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<v Speaker 2>Who decided that eight minutes was the threshold? The truth

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<v Speaker 2>is standards are almost always created by a combination of

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<v Speaker 2>historical performance, expert consensus, and customer expectation. Someone ran it

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<v Speaker 2>before in a certain time, Industry experts debated what's reasonable,

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<v Speaker 2>and eventually a consensus formed. Eight minutes is the measure

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<v Speaker 2>of competence. So now let's apply that thinking to business.

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<v Speaker 2>In a restaurant, maybe the standard is food delivered to

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<v Speaker 2>the table within twelve minutes of ordering. In ems, maybe

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<v Speaker 2>the standard is an ambulance unseen in under nine minutes.

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<v Speaker 2>In aviation, it's a certain number of safety checks before takeoff.

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<v Speaker 2>Every one of those standards was created based on a

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<v Speaker 2>mix of data, safety, customer experience, and practicality. But here's

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<v Speaker 2>where most leaders go wrong. They enforce the standard without

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<v Speaker 2>explaining the story behind it, and if employees don't know

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<v Speaker 2>the why, they won't care about the What imagine telling

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<v Speaker 2>a new employee the standard is eight minutes, don't be late.

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<v Speaker 2>They might comply, but they won't care. Now imagine telling

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<v Speaker 2>them this instead, we set the standard at eight minutes

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<v Speaker 2>because that's what research shows keeps customers satisfied, ensures quality,

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<v Speaker 2>and aligns with the best in the industry. Anything longer

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<v Speaker 2>and customers start to feel ignored. Anything faster risks mistakes.

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<v Speaker 2>Suddenly that standard has meaning. It's not just a number,

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<v Speaker 2>it's a benchmark with purpose. So how do we measure standards.

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<v Speaker 2>The answer is simple, with consistency and clarity. If the

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<v Speaker 2>standard is eight minutes, then we measure every attempt against

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<v Speaker 2>that clock. No expectations, no moving the target mid game.

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<v Speaker 2>That's where accountability comes in. People can't hit what they

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<v Speaker 2>can't see, and they can't improve what isn't measured. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>why do standards matter. Standards protect your brand. They create

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<v Speaker 2>predictability for your customers and fairness for your employees. Without standards,

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<v Speaker 2>you get chaos, and chaos never builds trust. Think of Starbucks.

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<v Speaker 2>You can order the same latte in Pittsburgh or in

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<v Speaker 2>Chicago and it tastes the same. That doesn't have happen

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<v Speaker 2>by accident. It happens because someone created a standard for

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<v Speaker 2>how much espresso, how much milk, and how hot the

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<v Speaker 2>drink should be. And here's the final piece teaching standards

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<v Speaker 2>so employees care. And this is where leadership matters most.

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<v Speaker 2>You have to connect the standard to something bigger than

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<v Speaker 2>the task. Instead of saying run an eight minute mile,

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<v Speaker 2>say running this mile in eight minutes proves you're ready

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<v Speaker 2>to handle the demands of the job and keeps you

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<v Speaker 2>aligned with the best in the industry. It's not just

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<v Speaker 2>about running It's about being ready, reliable, and trusted. And

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<v Speaker 2>when you frame it that way, the standard stops being

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<v Speaker 2>a rule and it starts being a badge of honor.

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<v Speaker 2>So here's my challenge for you today. Look at the

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<v Speaker 2>standards in your business. Do your employees know why those

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<v Speaker 2>standards exist? Do they understand how they were created? Can

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<v Speaker 2>they see how hitting that standard impacts the bigger picture?

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<v Speaker 2>If not, it's time to start teaching differently, because a

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<v Speaker 2>standard without purpose is just a number, but a standard

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<v Speaker 2>with meaning is a culture. This has been the seven

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<v Speaker 2>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