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How Do You Define Greatness?

May 7th, 2007

I am completely enthralled by the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. At this point in my professional career, this book really makes a personal impact. It is not that I simply take what Collins writes as undisputable fact, but more a philosophy of greatness in managerial behavior with proven examples.

As I study this book, I cannot help but see how it is influencing my behavior at work. For all intents and purposes, these behaviors were there before I even heard about this theory. But, being self-aware and focusing these strategies have proven to be liberating and downright fascinating.

Some people attend a concert and leave thinking the band was singing directly to them as if no one else was in the audience. I got the same feeling reading this book, except it felt like Jim Collins studied the culture of my particular office and the industry in which we work. Clearly, this is not the case. But, I could not help connect his analysis of “Good to Great” to the web marketing communications industry. It’s what I know.

There are many “good” websites out there. And, there are many good agencies that create them. But, what really makes a website “great” and the team that created it equally great? Simply put, a great website and web team depends on very specific environmental factors. I’ll cover three of these that really speak to me. If you want the others, read the book.

Greatness factor 1: build the right team.
If your project team does not believe in the assignment, or if their definition of success is to just get the job done, they need to be removed. Also, get all of the right people in the right position – clearly defined. You’d be amazed how many team members aren’t sure where they fit in. This means that despite how “great” someone may be individually, if he or she cannot perform well on a team, they need to go. It’s a tough truth.

Greatness factor 2: confront your limitations.
Essentially, define what a “great” website is regardless of your limitations, budget, and comfort level. How capable are you to reach this level? If you do not “confront the brutal facts” (Jim Collins), then you are destined to suffer by your weaknesses. It takes true leadership to confront these facts and to do something about correcting them. Not everyone will agree. Some will think you are simply making waves. But, the truth is liberating. It’s freeing. If you can get your team concentrating on what is wrong, the team will help to solve the problem. If we do not define what “great” is, then how do we know if we are just that?

Greatness factor 3: do what you do best.
Letting go is hard. “Good” teams want to do everything, for everyone, all of the time. They lose focus because they try too much. They over commit. An overcommitted team chokes on work it should not do. Great teams know what they do best, and they do it. If something else comes along that is not within their core competencies, they pass. Basically, if your instincts tell you that a project just isn’t right for your team, then it will never be a great project.

So, what does this all mean to me? Simple. You have to surround yourself with the right people, identify your strengths and weaknesses, then focus on the right work. How do you define greatness?

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