Excellence Isn’t Hired—It’s Cultivated 🎯

Most organizations discover a familiar pattern in their workforce:

·       Most employees meet expectations and do their jobs reliably.

·       Some consistently exceed expectations and go the extra mile.

·       A smaller group struggles to perform and needs support to improve.

For hiring managers, the challenge is predicting which applicants will fall into each category. The smartest strategy is to hire people who reliably meet expectations—and then build a culture where many of them choose to go the extra mile.

When preparing to open the Mirage, I researched best practices and spoke with leaders from a company that tried a very different approach: they attempted to hire exclusively Type A personalities, expecting a team of nonstop high achievers.

·       They used professional personality testing and successfully hired exactly the group they wanted.

·       They soon discovered the team was nearly unmanageable.

·       Type A individuals bring ambition, drive, and urgency—but also impatience, stress, and a tendency toward burnout.

·       Managers struggled to balance these strengths and weaknesses and couldn’t create a cohesive, sustainable team.

That experience led us to a different insight: optimism is a far better predictor of success in service roles. Optimistic employees tend to be flexible, resilient, gritty, and naturally inclined to deliver great service with a positive attitude.

But even the most optimistic employees can’t sustain that energy in a culture that stifles communication, creativity, or appreciation. Excellence doesn’t survive in a vacuum. It thrives when front‑line managers:

·       Build trust and respect

·       Catch people doing things right

·       Recognize both solid and exceptional performance

·       Support teamwork and team spirit

·       Foster a culture of shared excellence

The real leverage point in any organization is the mid‑level manager. Equip them to be strong communicators and effective coaches. Give them the skills to navigate positive and negative situations. And don’t forget to recognize their efforts—because they’re the ones keeping the performance traffic flowing smoothly today.

Roger Staubach (born 1942): American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy and won the 1963 Heisman Trophy.