Calvin and Hobbes on Excellence

Continuing a summer theme, some thoughts from Calvin and Hobbes (and me) on striving for excellence...

Do our expectations and standards sometimes allow for us to celebrate mediocrity?  If so, what kind of effect does this have on our groups?  Does excellence begin to mean "good enough?"

Does our propensity to always want to dress up our work result in us caring too much about how we show excellence, and not on how we achieve true excellence?

What is the motivation to be excellent?  Are we so worn out by those underachieving, that we ignore those doing just enough to get by?  What's the better use of time: helping a low performing group perform, or helping a performing group achieve excellence?

And my favorite...can excellence truly be relative?  And if so, is their danger in that?

Just some thoughts from a truly excellent comic strip (thanks Mr. Waterson).