'Make at least one permanent improvement everyday'. This can be applied to every kind of business and to your personal life. Three hundred and sixty-five small improvements add up to major progress. If all you do is handle the tasks that come each day, tomorrow will be just same. If you want to eliminate mediocrity, find some way to prevent problems.
Another common theme is the significance of knowing where you are going. Every business needs a mission statement. An effective mission statement keeps your employees focused. Many small businesses fail because they provide too many services. You can't focus on what is important. Before you know it you are mediocre at several things and excellent at none. A mission statement should sum up the passion you have for your business. Passion truly prevents mediocrity.
Knowing your business philosophy is the greatest time management tool there is. Deciding that something is not worth doing because it is outside of your mission statement will save you a startling amount of time. A useful exercise is to come up with your personal ten commandments. I did and now I'm very clear on when I will lie.
Keep information flowing. Employees that feel disconnected from the company will never rise above mediocrity. Unless you have a specific reason to withhold information (such as salaries) make it public. Publish the number of sales each month so everyone can understand how the products are doing in the market place. Let everyone know the major research & development project.
Known problems can be solved (or ignored). Unknown problems are impossible to solve. Keeping all your employees involved with the company increases the possibility that problems will be known. Every employee should have some contact with clients. Perhaps once a year have someone from your accounting department tag along with a salesperson or sit in on a training session. Different people will have different perspectives on what is a problem and how to solve it. Keeping people involved keeps ideas flowing.
Quality has to be defined. If you do not have a specific definition, how do you know you are producing a quality product? Instead of "our shirts will last a long time," use "our shirts if worn and washed twice every week will last for four years and three months without the color fading more than 20 percent." Now you have something you can measure.
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