Caley Thistle midfielder James Vincent believes the ever-increasing demands from manager John Hughes can help his side reach new heights.
Inverness are in second place in the Premiership after the 2-1 win against Dundee on Saturday, just three points behind leaders Celtic.
Following consecutive top-six finishes in the past two seasons, Vincent believes qualifying for the Europa League would be the next step for the Caley Jags.
But the 25 year-old believes he and his team-mates are being kept grounded by Hughes’ constant search for more from his squad.
Vincent said: “Taking nothing away from previous managers – everyone I’ve had has been different – the current manager has been great.
“He demands a certain standard. He doesn’t like complacency and doesn’t like people standing still.
“If you have a good game, he wants you to go again, carry on and get better. If we score two goals, he wants us to get three.
“He’s just the type of manager who demands the best from all of the players and from himself and his management team. It’s going to benefit the club.
“We’d like to think we can move on to the next level.
“Everyone in the camp is of the same mind and wants to move in the right direction. The manager is constantly driving it in to us, regardless of where we are or how we play, that we can still get better.
“That’s only going to bring the best out of the players. Nobody wants to stand still. If we are always pushing on, we always have a chance of improving ourselves and the team.
“So hopefully we can take the club on the next step upwards.
“For us the natural progression would be qualifying for Europe having been on the brink of it for the last couple of years.
“We can never really look too far ahead. The manager has kept us really grounded, regardless of the good start. We just look at one game at a time and try to work out a gameplan.
“We’ve been all right so far – and we know we still have a lot more to give.
“We’ll see where we are at the end of the season.”
With under-16s entitled to free entry to Saturday’s home fixture against Partick Thistle alongside a season ticket holder, Vincent believes the success of local youngsters such as Saturday’s match-winner Ryan Christie can inspire the young generation through the turnstiles.
Vincent added: “It’s quite a new club, so it’s important to get a good youth support coming through. The away support at the weekend was fantastic, it was probably one of the best and loudest I’ve seen.
“This weekend under-16s can come free with a season ticket holder, so hopefully we can get a bumper crowd.
“Hopefully Ryan is showing the city there is youth coming through.
“It’s good for the supporters and the players. Players know they’ve got a chance, and it’s only going to be positive for the club.”