Jeff Bezos argues1 that high Standards are foundational to the success of his company, and are driven by the ever increasing standards of consumers. He notes that high standards in a business should have the following features:

  1. Recognizable - People within (and outside) the organization should be able to recognize what excellent looks like within a domain
  2. Teachable - People will be able to acquire and rise to the standards of their environment
  3. Domain Specific - One must learn and acquire high standards across the scope of experience, they are not a universal set for everything.
  4. Realistic in Scope - It must be understandable how much work it takes to meet those standards

Skill is not necessarily important for meeting high standards in a team context. The team must understand the standards and have members who can accomplish them, but every member does not need to have the skills to meet a given standard.

More subtle: a culture of high standards is protective of all the ā€œinvisibleā€ but crucial work that goes on in every company. I’m talking about the work that no one sees. The work that gets done when no one is watching. In a high standards culture, doing that work well is its own reward – it’s part of what it means to be a professional.

1. Bezos, J. 2018 Letter to Share Holders. (2018).