Good is the Enemy of Great

“Good is the enemy of great!” Voltaire.  Several years ago as I read Good to Great by Jim Collins I was reminded of this Voltaire quote and realized how true it is. How many times have you been to a restaurant with great food but the service is lacking, have they settled for good over great? We all have our favorite restaurant, car dealer, furniture store that just seem to get it. You always walk away thinking that was a great experience. First let’s look at what the Bible has to say on the subject, there are many passage but here are a few of my favorites on the subject. “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:17 NLT. If we are called to be representatives of Christ, should we strive for excellence?

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” Revelations 3:15-16 NLT. I think the message is clear on this one, don’t you?

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Colossians 3:23. Once again we are called to work as to the Lord, with excellence!

So let’s look at excellence practically and consider how it leads to being great. Aristotle said “excellence is what we rapidly do, thus excellence is not a skill but a habit” I agree. Moving from good to great starts with you and a strong set of core values. Without a strong set of core values that keep you focused on what defines you and your commitment to being great, you will be like a ship without a rudder!

Here are some additional points to consider to be great:

• Set an example by striving to be great in all your dealings with employees and customers.

• Clearly set high standards for customer service and product delivery.

• Do what you say you will do and exceed customer expectations.

• Admit mistakes and take extraordinary measures to correct them.

• Treat everyone with courtesy and respect.

• Stay connected to your client base, set the example.

• Be relentless about quality in your products and services.

• Have an attitude of gratitude!

At the end of the day there is a fine line between being just good and being truly great, but it’s the attention to detail and your commitment to being the best in your given field.

Here is a final thought for you to consider from 2 Peter 1:10…“So, dear brothers and sisters,work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.”

Be great!

Marriage & Business: Hiking the High Wire over Niagara Falls

Tony got married seven years ago--in the midst of building his precision- tool company; and started off by making three mistakes.  Here they are: One, after a romantic wedding in Greece, he whisked his bride off to a honeymoon at a machine-tool trade show in Germany.

Two:  During the early years of his marriage he plowed every penny of profits back into his business-putting all of the financial burden on his wife; who was also trying to raise their first child.   and …

Three: … this one's the real biggie. "I underestimated how much time the business was going to take away from my family," Tony says. "I was literally never home.  Our marriage almost didn't survive.  I got to the point where I had to say to her, 'I'll do anything.  Just please don't leave.' "

It goes without saying that building a successful business and a happy marriage at the same time is not easy … in fact some say it is the impossible dream.  Henry Landes, founder of the Delaware Valley Family Business Center says:  "It's like walking the high wire over Niagara Falls.  It takes a lot of skill, and you can fall off easily.,"

A marriage in which the business is the biggest baby, counselor Landes says, "has to be a stronger marriage than most.  It needs better communication skills, better conflict-resolution skills, better specific planning skills, and a lot more resilience."

The good news is that despite the many pitfalls, plenty of entrepreneurial couples are meeting that challenge.  In fact research suggests that the shared struggle of creating a company together can make a good marriage even better.

Data shows that there's no evidence that the divorce rate among business owners is any higher than average.  According to a recent survey by the investment advisory firm Neuberger Berman, 42% of CEOs of fast-growing startups say that running their own companies has had a positive effect on their relationships with spouses.  That is significantly higher than the 32% who said business ownership had caused trouble on the home front.

So let’s take some time to ask some important questions:

What were some of the mistakes you made in building your business that had a negative impact on your marriage?  How did you correct them, or are you still making them?

How have you transferred the attitudes and skills that make you successful in business into your home life?

And just for fun … using our Convene vernacular … what are the Key Performance Indicators that you have set for your marriage?  How will you measure them?  Who’s holding you accountable to do so?

Our aspiration is to take our companies from good to great … let’s set that same goal for our marriage and home lives.

Matthew 16:26:  What does it profit a man to gain the whole world … if he loses his soul?

Passing Backwards

I coached each of my kids’ soccer teams from about ages 5 to 12. As the kids got older, we shifted from simple skill development to learning positions and strategies. But one concept that I never could get across was the value of passing the ball back. You see, when a soccer team is moving down the field on offense, sometimes their best move is to pass the ball back to a teammate who can redirect the flow of the attack. For kids, it’s counterintuitive to purposefully kick the ball in the opposite direction from the goal. But doing so is often exactly what a team needs in order to improve its chances of scoring.

Sometimes the best move that a leader can make is to pass the ball backwards. This is often just as counterintuitive for the leader as for a 10-year old soccer player. Here are three reasons why soccer players pass back, and why you should consider it as well:

• You pass back when you’ve encountered opposition. It’s better to pass back and lose a few yards than to lose the ball completely. As a leader, you may be able to press forward in the face of difficulties, but at what cost?

• The person receiving your pass can see the field much better. Since this teammate isn’t surrounded by defenders, he or she has a clearer perspective. In the same way, you need colleagues who can offer a different point of view.

• Redirection may yield better results. Passing the ball back isn’t a retreat – it’s a chance to shift the offense’s attack. You may also need to try a different approach to accomplish your ultimate goal.

If you feel like you’re running into a brick wall with your current efforts, is it time to pass the ball backwards?

Windows & Mirrors

What are you looking at … windows or mirrors? What does your heart contain?

In his book “Good to Great,” author Jim Collins shares that one of the factors that contributes to achieving “greatness” is what leaders choose to look through when things happen. Leaders of great organizations look out the “window” when things go well to credit others for success, and look in the “mirror” to take responsibility when things are not going well. Ineffective leaders choose the opposite: they find someone or something to blame for the lack of success and credit themselves when things are successful.

A recent example of this is Pete Carroll, the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, who looked in the mirror and took full responsibility for what many call the dumbest play ever in a Super Bowl — i.e., throwing a pass at the one yard line that was interecepted. Pete could have easily looked out the window and blamed the offensive coordinator, quarterback, receiver, or team.

Windows & mirrors also apply to our hearts. John the Baptist understood this when he encountered Christ. John simply stated, “He must increase; I must decrease.” (John 3:30). Often we seek only ourselves in our vocation, our work, our relationships, our life. We look in the mirror and choose to offer our services only when the work to be done brings us honor or enhances our self-importance or standing. Our hearts are mirrors reflecting self-centered motivations, focusing on increasing me. Yet we are called to humility — to look out the window to others — so that are hearts open up to be like Jesus, centered on humble service, loving others, and enabling them to increase.

In our hearts, a window instead of the mirror forces us to look at “what’s possible” and to focus on others. Mirrors weaken our mission and impact; windows empower it.

Power, Position, Prestige …or a Life Well Spent ?

What do you imagine your ‘last words’ might be if it turns out that folks can gather in & listen to you? Here are a few last words from recognizable people.  

“I'm bored with it all.” (Before slipping into a coma. He died 9 days later.) ~~ Winston Churchill, statesman, d. January 24, 1965

“How were the circus receipts in Madison Square Gardens?” ~~ P. T. Barnum, Circus Promoter, d. 1891

“All my possessions for a moment of time.” ~~ Queen Elizabeth I, Queen of England, d. 1603

“Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 23:46) ~~ Jesus Christ

Malcolm Forbes life emphasized the Epicurean philosophy, “Eat, drink, and be merry – for tomorrow we may die.” He was famous for denying himself nothing that money could buy. Malcolm threw himself a birthday party for his eightieth birthday that cost $1,000,000. He flew two or three hundred of his closest friends to Tangier in a chartered 747. He knew, and was known by, every important person in the world of politics and finance. He built one of the world’s great fortunes as one of its foremost publishers. It seems that Mr. Forbes philosophy of life would be that we should strive to see, taste, hear, experience, or possess as much of the world’s various valued faire as possible before the time to depart it comes.

Actually the bible king named Solomon was richer than Malcolm Forbes. Solomon once said,

“I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned great herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! So I became greater than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. And with it all, I remained clear-eyed so that I could evaluate all these things. Anything I wanted, I took. I did not restrain myself from any joy. I even found great pleasure in hard work, an additional reward for all my labors.” Ecclesiastes 2:4-11

You may come to the end of your life’s journey with a large amount of wealth or you may be honored by your peers for your accomplishments. But what do you suppose it might all mean to you as you face death? Do you suppose that you might hold a stock portfolio to your chest and gain comfort by looking at the number of shares on the certificate? The house that you own, the backyard renovation, the new carpet or the car…none of which you’ll ever see again… how much will they mean then? Probably not much at all.

As you slip across the threshold into the arms of God, they’ll mean even less…actually nothing at all unless they were used for kingdom purposes.

The Apostle Paul had it all, the social status, the recognition, the power even to throw his enemies into jail. He was respected by the existing religious authorities of his day, he was an ‘up and comer’, “of the stock of Israel, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee.” He said all of those status symbols, the power, prestige, position type things, became “rubbish” to him when he met Jesus Christ.

What in the world would make him change his mind about things like that? Why would he give up the power and access to affluence? Paul believed that there are things that are even more important than power, position and prestige. He believed hook, line and sinker in eternal things. He knew that, “You CANNOT serve both God and money.”

How about you and me? We know what we admire most by looking at what we’re striving for or who we are trying to be most like. When Saul of Tarsus met Jesus Christ, he either gradually or immediately, stopped pursuing the status and values of this world. He, either slowly or immediately, began to pursue only those things that would promote and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To him life became, “forgetting those things that are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ.”

You and I have only so many assets to invest. Our assets are the amount of time we have left, the money that we control, the relationships we have, and the package of gifts and talents that God has given us. Combined these equal our opportunity to promote and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the context of the life He has called us to lead. Investing our assets to promote and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to earn the rewards provided by our Father in Heaven for the faithful and obedient use of the opportunity He gives us, is the only real reason we are still here on earth. God, by His sovereign choice, has chosen to use flawed and foolish people like you and me to work through and to demonstrate and announce His Kingdom. He does the work, but through us.

Paul of Tarsus and others, through the testimony of their lives, give us examples of wise men who made wise investments that last for eternity and bring eternal rewards. How about you? Have you invested well on earth so that your dying words will reflect the world view of your leader Jesus Christ?