High Standards Aren’t Elitist—They’re the Shortcut Most People Miss

Walk into a high-performing team, a championship sports locker room, or the kitchen of a great chef, and you’ll see it: invisible, uncompromising standards that raise everyone’s game. A designer sends back a sloppy draft and simply asks, 'Is this really your best work?' The question hangs in the air, creating a moment of discomfort and, more importantly, a clear fork in the road: settle for average or step up.

We like to think we’re immune to our environment, but the truth is we’re shaped by it. The colleague who always double-checks their slides makes you reconsider sending out that unproofed email. At home, a parent who insists on everyone thanking the cook before leaving the table teaches gratitude by example. Standards are contagious, and the bar you set has a way of pulling others up—or down—to meet it.

Hard as it may be, holding the line on standards sometimes means uncomfortable moments. Maybe you find yourself admitting that your last assignment was only 'barely good enough,' or asking a teammate to rewrite a collaboratively drafted report. The initial resistance gives way to pride when excellence becomes normal.

This insight draws directly from social learning theory and the behavioral concept of “reference groups”—the people whose habits we copy. Deliberately raising your bar, and sharing that commitment, multiplies your capacity for growth—and often inspires others to do the same.

Tonight, take a look around you and notice which standards are sliding—maybe it's skipping the full review before submitting, maybe it’s letting meetings start late. Pick one area and make the quiet decision that, from now on, your work or attitude will meet the mark you admire most, not just what’s required. Don’t keep it to yourself: tell a classmate or coworker your new goal, and let their raised eyebrow push you to keep at it. You’ll find that even a single high standard, acted on consistently, can spark a ripple effect wherever you go.