The Enemy of Great is Good
Recently, a client sent me an email with the title of this blog posting in it. He was decrying the problem of another vendor who was not responsive, and who was only giving "good" service.
I've certainly read that other great book, Jim Collins' Good to Great, which speaks to the same issue.
The Enemy of Great is Good suggests that client expectations are high, and rising. Interestingly, Greatness is only relevant from the perspective of the client - so if we don't know how they define it, then we might be investing time doing precisely the wrong thing. Or rather, spending time doing merely doing good work.
It seems that the problem of "good" has infected pretty much everywhere. When we speak to our colleagues, we ask them to do a good job - not a great one. When we speak to our children, often the best feedback we give is "very good".
At the same time, the opportunity of "great" is a big one. With so many others only providing good service, then it should be exceptionally easy to differentiate yourself by being great.
Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com