Jim Collins: Good is Enemy to Great

This continues our 8-part series on Jim Collins’ Good-to-Great research
Jim Collins and his research team examined 30 years of financial records for 1,435 companies. They looked for 1) 15 years of performance at or below the norm, 2) a transitional point of change (the black box), and 3) 15 years of accelerating performance significantly above industry norms. Eleven companies met the criteria. The research team interviewed staff to identify any commonalities between the great companies. Good-to-Great released their findings. I strongly suggest you study it to improve your career. Most of today’s post comes from chapter one of the book.
“Good is the Enemy of Great”
Jim Collins started the book with that statement. He continued “And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.
We don’t have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don’t have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life. The vast majority become quite good—and that is their main problem.”
His thoughts resonate with me. They echo Tom Peters and Robert Waterman’s landmark work In Search of Excellence. Too many of us as people, businesses, and communities fail to  push for excellence. Good satisfies our craving. For example, most of my blogs pass for good. Some worse. Few, if any, of my musings would pass muster as great. Most of us, could not describe a great effort.
Let me share another example. the operation that I manage set a goal in October to help all of the people asking us for help (6,000+) to find a job by Christmas. I believe that exemplified a great and achievable goal. We failed miserably. We only helped a little over a thousand find a job. Whenever, I tried to motivate the group to stretch further, they told me “But we placed twice as many this year as last year.” In other words, what we are doing is good because it exceeds last year’s performance. Good truly is the enemy of great.
“Timeless “Physics” of Good to Great”
The author admonishes readers (Yes, you should read the book) “As you immerse yourself in the coming chapters, keep one key point in mind. This book is not about the old economy. Nor is it about the new economy. It is not even about the companies you’re reading about, or even about business per se. It is ultimately about one thing: the timeless principles of good to great. It’s about how you take a good organization and turn it into one that produces sustained great results, using whatever definition of results best applies to your organization.”
Collins explains that he doesn’t consider his research about businesses, economies, or even organizations. He believes that his research seeks to “understand the fundamental differences between great and good, between excellent and mediocre.” He uses corporations because their requirement to publish solid financial information simplifies the research.
Move Your Career, Your Life, from Good to Great
That answers the question “Larry, why are you examining good to great in your career blog and not in your business blog?” I believe the findings Collins discovered can apply to people also. You can surround yourself with “who” first, then discover your “what”. You can confront your own brutal facts. You can find your personal hedgehog concept. You determine if you live on a flywheel or a doom loop.
The end of the year lends itself to introspection and seeking improvement. I hope these posts inspire you to seek lasting change—to conquer good, the enemy of great—and become great. Read the book and articles listed on his web site. Take the diagnostic tool for you as an individual.  I pray that you share the concepts with your friends. Build your own mastermind team so that each of you can become great.
Friday we will explore the critical practice of seeking who first…then what. Don’t miss it!