How to Break Free From the Comfort of ‘Good’ and Achieve Greatness

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“Good is the enemy of great.” These are not just words to write on a t-shirt; they are the words that hold the key to the difference between mediocrity and brilliance. If you are planning on being great, you cannot afford to just be average.

It means you need to work hard in order to achieve something significant. Here is why this is important and how you can use it going forward in your life and business.

Why good is the enemy of great

Good is comfortable. It’s safe. When you are good, you do as is expected, but you do not go beyond that. This comfort can be a trap. It slows you down, and you contemplate, and at some point, you stop challenging yourself. Greatness, on the other hand, is when you are called upon to come out of your comfort and do the extraordinary, take risks and face the unknown.

Now, let’s examine the case of Blockbuster to support this argument. They were quite efficient in renting movies. However, they failed to consider the alteration of approach — the switch to streaming services for delivery. Netflix, however, had its sights set on a different goal. They shifted the perception of entertainment products that people have. Currently, Blockbuster no longer exists, whereas Netflix has become one of the leading companies in the industry. The difference? One was content to be happy, while the other sought to be great.

1. Relentless pursuit of excellence

Being great is not a destination; it is a process. It calls for a culture that always looks for the best way of doing things. You have to be relentless. As a leader or an entrepreneur, it lies in your responsibility to foster such a culture within your team.

In my earlier years, I was heading a startup that had been performing well. We were on the right track, experiencing positive growth, and the clients seemed satisfied. But I soon found out that “doing well” is not enough. I asked my team a simple question. The question that ignited everything was, “What would it take for us to be great?” We had to change the way we thought about our product, aim higher and create an environment that supports change. The result? We not only made progress but shifted the course and raised the bar.

2. Embrace failure

To be great, failure has to be redefined. Everyone despises failure, yet it is an inevitable component of the process of achieving success. Successful leaders and organizations know this. This is because they view it as a learning process and not as a sign of weakness.

Think about Thomas Edison. He tried and tried until he was able to come up with the light bulb idea. Every failure was a step closer to success. If he had let the technology remain “good enough,” we may still be in the dark ages. Getting it wrong isn’t the opposite of getting it right; it is getting it right.

3. Vision and purpose

It is often said that great people have their sights set firmly on the goal and a passion for their mission. As with anything in life, if you have a passion or a dream that is powerful enough to make others want to get on board, then you will be set. This vision should be your North Star; it guides you and your decision-making.

Of course, Steve Jobs wanted Apple to be competitive and manufacture great devices, but he had more than that in mind. This man had ambitions of transforming the world around him. This vision helped to steer his team towards new frontiers of achievement. This is why Apple products are not only utilitarian but are also evolutionary.

4. Continuous learning and adaptation

The roadmap to greatness is always under construction. Work culture today is such that one has to invest in learning and upskilling in order to remain relevant and ahead in the competitive market. The great leaders are always eager to learn. They are inquisitive people with a desire to acquire as much knowledge as possible and to innovate.

There is an example I once came across of an entrepreneur who perfectly fits this description. He continued taking his workshops, reading books and gaining advice from his mentors. His passion was clearly visible, and it was not surprising to see that his firm was always among the most progressive. It is true that the day you cease learning is the same day that you cease to develop.

5. Building a culture of greatness

Greatness isn’t achieved alone. It takes creating an environment that drives people to achieve the best. This means employee recruitment, selection, training and development, as well as fostering a performance culture that encourages people to be their best.

Google is one of the most prominent representatives of this type. Their culture is a strong process of learning and improvement and, above all, a culture of excellence. There’s a focus on innovation and risk-taking; people are encouraged to try new ideas and approaches. Rejection is not the end of the road but rather a step towards producing better work. This culture has resulted in some of the world’s most profound developments in the field of technology.

From good to great: Actionable insights for achieving greatness

Moving from being a good organization to a great one is not a spectators’ game; it takes daring steps and a never-ending pursuit of greatness.

Zero-based thinking: Just think of the idea of having to start all over again. If your team can start by redesigning your business with no limitations, go for it. This can uncover inefficiencies in current processes and create new solutions.
Moonshot projects: Establish a compelling challenge that pushes your team to work beyond their limits. These projects are pushing the envelope and resulting in new discoveries and evolution.
Failure reports: One should introduce a mechanism for post-mortem analysis. Teach the failures that happened, why they happened and what was learned. It means that errors become a source of learning.
Continuous learning: Make a structured learning syllabus. Promote deep collaboration between departments to promote cross-pollination and a diverse skill base across the team.
North Star metric: Find one measure that is most relevant to your organization’s value proposition. This reorients the actions of your team in the direction of a shared and inspiring vision.
Ownership projects: Use high-risk/high-reward initiatives to decentralize decision-making and give work to selected employees or subgroups. This leads to accountability and innovation.
Radical candor: Promote the practice of openness and an environment where constructive criticisms are common. This way, only the best ideas come to the table, as direct and caring feedback is encouraged.
Innovation days: Design a fixed time for undertaking passion projects. They can also yield surprises — positive kinds.
Data-driven decisions: Invest in using data for change. Ensure that those key metrics are reviewed often with the team in order to embark on informed decisions.
Social responsibility: Ensure that mainstream social responsibility is included in the organization’s strategic management. This motivates the employees as well as the customers, helping you achieve the best that you can offer.