Striving for Excellence...

Without any qualifiers, the term excellence is meaningless. Often times one will hear companies, organizations or people speak of

"striving for excellence,"

it always sounds nice, but what does it mean if it's not specific? I expect a certain level of excellence in my endeavors, for some reason I also expect it from my colleagues. Others seem to be reluctant. If you've seen Mona Lisa Smile, you might remember this scene:

      

It can be a challenge getting others to open their minds, in this case it was a professor trying help her students look at their world in a different way. What if the professor was someone you know, perhaps even a supervisor or a colleague, who shared a new idea or way of looking at the world? Would it change the way you look at things? ...or maybe you've been in the professor's position. What, specifically, do you strive for excellence in? How have others opened your mind? How have you opened the mind of others?