Luttrell Staffing Group’s four core values are Excellence, Integrity, Grit, and Service. This summer, we’ve asked for volunteers from our staff to take just one of these attributes and convey what it means to them in the context of their employment here. This contribution, on Excellence, is from safety claims manager Kerry Stanley, who has been with Luttrell Staffing Group in various capacities since 2006.

EXCELLENCE

Excellence is defined as the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. The Alabama Crimson Tide Football team has completed ten undefeated seasons. It is estimated that Elvis Presley has sold more than one billion records worldwide, more than anyone in record industry history. As a civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and named Time Magazine’s Man of the Year in both 1963 and 1964. I would consider these people to be outstanding and remarkable in some way. I want to be outstanding, but how do I get there? How will I measure it? Will I know if I reach it?

The truth is, I’m not excellent or outstanding. I am forever a work in progress with the goal of excellence always in mind. As a mother to a pre-teen, I am quick to anger over bad grades and a smart mouth (which I know he inherited from me). As a Christian, I’m nothing more than a saved sinner who falls short every day. As an employee of Luttrell Staffing Group, I find myself negative and at times unsympathetic. Okay, now I have identified three areas of weakness that I can improve as I work my way towards excellence, and I can’t think of a better environment to reach goals and improve oneself than at Luttrell Staffing Group. It’s even in our Mission Statement: “Our Mission is to cultivate people and build relationships through excellence in staffing.” See, excellence in staffing!!

I was hired by this company in 2006 when we were just doing business in Tennessee and Virginia. I have seen the industry drastically change over the years, and with these changes we as a company had to find ways to adjust, acclimate, and sometimes drop back and punt. And guess what, it always worked! This company has withstood challenge after challenge, and continues to be a growing, successful business 27 years later. Any company that can continue to thrive, especially now, is proof of excellence. It doesn’t just happen overnight, and Rome wasn’t built in a day. I think that’s the point of this core value. It’s a movement, an attitude, and a state of mind. It’s hard to reach, but not impossible. If you are not excellent or outstanding, that’s okay! You can be. You will be. This organization will set you on the right path. Goals will be set, standards will be met, and before you know it you are a better employee and a better person.

“Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.” -Booker T. Washington