Great Times

An oldie, but a goodie:  Good to Great, by Jim Collins offers a well-researched analysis of those companies that have made the jump from "good" to "great".  While it might be expedient to call this a "business book", many of the keys that Collins offers could be translated to organizations of any variety.  And the factors that Collins uncovered have implications that could serve a cross-section of life.  Having said that, however, it is worth noting that few organizations actually make the jump from good to great, and the great ones are few and far between.

Reading Collins's book, I couldn't help but feel average.  Mediocre, even.  Greatness?  Difficult to achieve.

In fact, the average person is average for a reason.   Most of what we see in life is average.  Even the best is average because good is so commonplace. Most of us do a job with efficiency and quality.  But it's all average, according to Collins.  He's probably correct.

As I think about "greatness", according to Collins, I must focus on the one thing that I am the best at. Something that no one else in the world can do as well as I.

Got it?

I can't, frankly, think of a thing.  I might say I'm great a offering quotes from The Andy Griffith Show, but as soon as I get the big head I'll undoubtedly meet someone who knows the show better than I.  And as for anything else I do, I'll just have to say I'm average.

Well, you know what I'm talking about.