As I write this, I’m sitting in a hotel room in Las Vegas. I must admit that I’m not a big fan of Las Vegas. It’s nothing against the city, it’s just that I typically spend less than 72 hours in Las Vegas at any one time and never get outside the hotel. So all I’m exposed to is the environment that the hotel has created. And it all seems so fake to me.

For instance, yesterday I touched a “marble” column in the hotel at which I’m staying. Only it wasn’t marble. It was painted to look like marble and was actually hollow! And there are all the hotel employees dressed up in costumes pretending to be something or someone they aren’t. Then there are lights, bells, and whistles going off on slot machines as people “win” $2 after pumping in many times their winnings. None of it is what it appears to be. It’s not real!

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Clear directions are a critical element in the successful execution of any task. To bake a batch of mouth-watering cookies, you need a recipe that clearly lists the ingredients and how they need to be combined in order to deliver the final result you’re looking for. If you need to travel from point A to point B in the most efficient manner possible, clear directions will get you there.

The same is true of the people who work for you. They need you to clearly articulate what it is that you want them to accomplish and, if need be, to provide the directions so that they can deliver on your wishes in the most efficient and effective manner.

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Earlier this week I was meeting with the CEO and owner of a company when the topic of corporate culture came up. I was interested to learn what the culture at his company was like. As he described his company’s culture, it was evident that many of the company’s traits mirrored that of the owner and CEO. His company’s culture reflected many of his personal strengths, but also, he was quick to point out, it also included some of his weaknesses.

In small and mid-size businesses, it’s common for the company culture to reflect the person at the top. Larger companies often have a very entrenched culture that likely was derived from the founder, but has survived multiple leaders. Of course, each new leader can affect that culture, but if the culture is strong, they can only do so in minor ways.

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I read the other day where Kenneth Feinberg, the Obama administration’s pay czar, is planning on limiting the compensation of top employees at firms receiving large amounts of government aid. Now the initial reaction of the masses might be that this is an excellent decision. In fact, my guess is that is exactly how the majority of voters would react and, since it’s a popular decision, it makes cutting executive compensation in government-controlled firms a very easy choice.

But easy isn’t necessarily right.

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The other day a friend of mine suggested I type “excellence vs. perfection” into the Google search box and see what came up. When I got back to my office, I did exactly as he had suggested. The very top organic search result was a link to the site www.boodrow.com/boodrow4/perfection.htm, which had a list that compared and contrasted excellence and perfection. Many thanks to the website’s creator for the list. The author is unknown.

• Perfection is being right. Excellence is being willing to be wrong.
• Perfection is fear. Excellence is taking a risk.
• Perfection is anger and frustration. Excellence is powerful.
• Perfection is control. Excellence is spontaneous.
• Perfection is judgment. Excellence is accepting.
• Perfection is taking. Excellence is giving.
• Perfection is doubt. Excellence is confidence.
• Perfection is pressure. Excellence is natural.
• Perfection is the destination. Excellence is the journey

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