Good to Great Rewind

I recently finished reading (again) Good to Great by Jim Collins. This has been a book that has been discussed (again) a lot lately at my place of work so I thought reading it again as a refresher to my memory was a good idea. The concepts and ideas in the book continue to be very relevant in helping anyone become successful in any walk of life. Below are some ideas I really enjoyed re-reading.

#1 People Count

Re-reading the book reminded me of the importance of people. Good people are so important to success in our lives. We must learn and have the discipline to surround ourselves with good people whether at work or at home. As the book states, if we know we need to make a change of the people we are around, act! And when we are in doubt of whether we should hire or hang around a certain person, we should keep looking. Having the right people in our life is very critical to our results and success in life.

#2 Simplify

In our society we are bombarded with things to do. As a result, many of us live with busy, overscheduled lives that stress us out and impede us from reaching our potential. The book reminds us that there is power in simplifying and focusing on what is vital. Rather than pursue many things and basically waste our energy, we should focus on becoming really good at the essential things and ignore the rest. In fact, the book encourages us to throw away the “to do lists” and replace them with “stop doing lists.” As we simplify, our complex world will become organized and our ability to perform well will become much easier.

#3 Greatness is a Choice

The author of the book states, “Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice.” Thus, any and all of us have the potential and ability to be great. Being great is not determined by our skill level, knowledge, charming character, or even by being at the right place at the right time. Greatness is achieved by conscious effort and consistent good choices that lead to it.

# 4 Good is the Enemy of Great

In the end, good is the enemy of great. So many of us are satisfied with simply being good. When we are good we become content and our passion to become all that we can be fades. “Why push the envelope we ask ourselves, when we are at the same level as everyone else?” For this reason there are many that are good but few that are truly great. Having the desire, discipline, and drive to push for greatness is rare indeed.

Remembering that people count, to simplify, that greatness is a choice while good is the enemy of great will help us become successful leaders and successful people. If you are in business and have not read Good to Great, I would strongly recommend it. In my blog next week, I will discuss why we shouldn’t simply settle for good but why we should push for greatness.