Excellence is not the same as perfection which, like infinity, is an academic sleight of mind. Excellence is a way of thinking that embodies the relentless pursuit of improvement in the knowledge that, whilst crossing the scree-run of life, if we do not constantly step higher up the mountain's slope then we will gradually slip lower into its valley.

Like courage, the pursuit of excellence is a private struggle fought in the mind. Only the individual knows whether he has rested for a pace or two and ducked the chance to make an extra stride towards excellence. He may comfort himself with the thought that no one noticed. But in his mind he knows that if they had, then he would have shrunk a little in their eyes. So he may perhaps take that stride, propelled by the fear of shame if not by the love of excellence. There is nothing wrong in that; so much of a team player's motivation is bound up in the need for affirmation. Teamwork depends on it. And it is better than not making the stride at all.

But there are also pathfinders who pick their route inexorably upward towards excellence, but not because they fear the disapproval of their peers. They do so because they are drawn forward by a sense of what might be. They know that it is possible to climb higher and therefore that they must if they are to avoid a gradual descent into mediocrity. Furthermore, they know by some odd instinct that in any struggle only a few men truly make the running. Most men follow others, although no team race could be won without those followers also.

Therefore the pathfinders mark the route, if necessary alone. They know that, whilst not all will share their hunger for excellence, if the path is marked clearly enough then others will follow in their steps. And amongst these followers there will be other pathfinders, other team players; and some who are just along for the ride. That is the nature of any team, and each member who follows has his own strengths that may be bent in due course towards the purpose of excellence.

No path can be cut without mistakes. Mistakes are a fact of life and cannot be wished away. Indeed, they are to be welcomed in so far as they provide pointers towards improvement and therefore towards excellence. However, there is no merit in making a mistake, nor even in merely learning from it per se. The prize is in using that new-found learning to avoid making the mistake again and, better still, to avoid making others like it. Used this way, mistakes may plot a path to excellence, but only for those with an eye for the pointers and the path. The value of mistakes is lost if the pointers they raise are not heeded.

I am committed to excellence. By instinct I am also a pathfinder. I mark a path that leads upwards and I will not be deviated from that, even if I were to walk it alone. The team that I aspire to lead will, if we're lucky, consist of some more pathfinders, rather more team players and quite a few followers, without all of whom there would be no success. I see nothing wrong with the mix. I believe that everyone in it should be inspired by the idea that we are driving towards excellence. But I accept that in practice this inspiration will act upon different people in different ways. Some will stride out because they too are exhilarated. Others will make the extra stride because they don't want to let the team down. Still more will do it out of habit or because of the example set for them by us. Each is a perfectly valid reason, and I make no judgment of an individual in this regard, providing that he does actually make the stride. Furthermore, I accept that our trek will be marked by mistakes and even the odd wrong turn. These may help us towards excellence or may lead us away from it. It all depends upon how we deal with each one of them. But if, at each, we take the opportunity to make another step up the mountain then we will, by degrees, be achieving excellence with every pace.

David Wood