Episode 526 - "Excellence Is a Habit, Not a Moment"

In this episode, we break down Aristotle’s quote, “Excellence is not an act but a habit,” into three practical steps leaders can use to build consistent, lasting impact. Learn how your daily actions shape culture, trust, and results.

Host: Paul Falavolito
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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
performance through strong human relations, team building, and golajving. This
is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul
fella Aledo. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Seven Minute
Leadership Podcast. It's episode five twenty six. Today we're taking

(00:28):
a trip back to the wisdom of Aristotle, who said
excellence is not an act, but a habit. It's one
of the most important quoted lines in leadership and personal development,
but too often people hear it not in agreement and
then never apply it. So for today's episode, let's break

(00:50):
it down and make it real. Excellence isn't about one
shining moment. It's not the big present you nailed, the
huge deal you closed, or the one time you went
above and beyond for your team. Those are snapshots. But excellence,

(01:11):
the kind that defines a leader, the kind that earns trust,
respect and followership, comes from what you do every single day,
especially when nobody's watching. Think about the athlete who doesn't
just train on game day, but trains every morning at
five am when the stands are empty, or the paramedic

(01:34):
who doesn't only care about patient care when supervisors are present.
But checks their equipment thoroughly on every shift, or the
pilot who never skips a checklist even when they've flown
the same route a thousand times. Those aren't one time acts.
Those are habits. Now Here's the hard truth. Average is

(01:59):
a habit too. Cutting corners, showing up late, not preparing
for meetings, letting little details slide. Those are habits, and
if you let them build up, your people will notice.
Teams don't remember the one big speech you gave. They
remember if you're consistently dependable, consistently fair, and consistently clear.

(02:23):
So how do you turn Aristotle's wisdom into something actionable?
Let me give you three takeaways. Number one, audit your
daily habits. Ask yourself, are your small daily actions moving
you toward excellence or away from it? Excellence doesn't hide

(02:45):
in the big things. It's in the emails you send,
the tone of your voice in tough conversations, in the
way you respond to stress. Number two, define your non negotiables.
These are the habits you commit to no matter what.
For me, it's preparation, whether it's a podcast, a meeting,

(03:06):
or a training session. I don't just wing it. That's
my habit. What are yours. Maybe it's being present for
your people. Maybe it's never walking past a problem without
addressing it. And number three, make it visible. Excellence should
show up in your calendar, your schedule, and your systems.

(03:28):
If you believe feedback is critical, then set a weekly
reminder to give it. If you believe learning is key,
then block twenty minutes every day to read, study, or
listen to something that sharpens you. Habits need structure in
order to survive. So let me give you a challenge.

(03:50):
Pick one habit of excellence and start it today. Just one.
Don't overcomplicate it. Maybe it's greeting every team member by
name when you walk in. Maybe it's writing a five
sentence reflection at the end of every day about how
you showed up as a leader. Do it every day
for the next thirty days. You'll see results that you

(04:12):
can't ignore, and so will your people. Remember, habits build
a culture. If your habits say average, your team will
respond with average. If your habits say excellence, your team
will rise to meet you. Excellence is never about one act.

(04:36):
It's who you are repeatedly every single day. That's Aristotle's message,
and in leadership it's not optional. This has been the
seven Minute Leadership podcast, and I thank you for listening.
For more Paul fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot
com