Good to Great

 

 

The difference between being good and being great can be just a few extra steps away. I would agree with Jim Collins in his article, “Good To Great” when he states that “Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.” Many people are perfectly comfortable with good enough and not willing to take the extra steps to be great.

After reading this article, I had a conversation with a successful entrepreneurial friend that resonated with me. He started a profitable and popular smoothie business that had grown to over 60 franchises. He mentioned that 20% of his franchises were very successful but eventually he decided to sell this business because too many franchises were being run poorly. I knew he had an opinion on the matter, so I asked him, what he thought was the difference between those that did poorly and those that were successful. He answered quickly and asserted that the owners were unwilling to take the few extra steps to make it successful. In short, they wanted a business without being hands-on; they were unwilling to spend time in their own four walls and see how things were being run. The franchise owners did not take the time to get to know the employees well enough to hire good managers that would care for their business when they were not available to be there. The difference between a successful franchise and the ones that went under was the leadership. Not the location, not the clientele, not the cost of products…the leadership.  

I am so thankful to have had this insightful conversation with him and understand the concepts offered by Jim Collins in real-life situations. It is a reminder that to have a great business, I need to be engaged and be surrounded by people that are engaged as well. 

 

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