Good or Great?

Do you want to be Good or Great?  Years ago, my mentor asked me to read Good to Great by Jim Collins, which introduced the concept that most companies settle for being ‘good’ and never make it to ‘great.’  It states that the goal is to be GREAT.  Duh!

Which would you rather be…good or great?  I am reminded of the recent AT&T commercials stating “It’s Not Complicated” where the host interviews children about basic questions such as which is better: doing two things at once…fast or slow?  One could argue that it’s not complicated when it comes to which is better…good or great?  Great, of course…right?  I would argue that it depends on how you define “good.”  As a self-proclaimed Platonist, I believe that goodness is intrinsic virtue; hence, the end goal is to BE morally just through our character rather than simply DO good deeds.  Good is the ultimate goal.

This weekend, I was reminded of this when our family went to see Oz The Great and Powerful.  It is amazing what you can learn from a movie that was panned by the critics.  Go see it with the kids and be prepared for some bad acting by Mila Kunis (whose name just sounds like a dirty word to me).  The message, however, is excellent.  While we strive for greatness, we lose sight of the fact that what matters is goodness.  It’s more about WHO we are that WHAT we do.  Maybe we should all focus on being great at being good.

Do you want to be Good or Great?  Years ago, my mentor asked me to read Good to Great by Jim Collins, which introduced the concept that most companies settle for being ‘good’ and never make it to ‘great.’  It states that the goal is to be GREAT.  Duh!

Which would you rather be…good or great?  I am reminded of the recent AT&T commercials stating “It’s Not Complicated” where the host interviews children about basic questions such as which is better: doing two things at once…fast or slow?  One could argue that it’s not complicated when it comes to which is better…good or great?  Great, of course…right?  I would argue that it depends on how you define “good.”  As a self-proclaimed Platonist, I believe that goodness is intrinsic virtue; hence, the end goal is to BE morally just through our character rather than simply DO good deeds.  Good is the ultimate goal.

This weekend, I was reminded of this when our family went to see Oz The Great and Powerful.  It is amazing what you can learn from a movie that was panned by the critics.  Go see it with the kids and be prepared for some bad acting by Mila Kunis (whose name just sounds like a dirty word to me).  The message, however, is excellent.  While we strive for greatness, we lose sight of the fact that what matters is goodness.  It’s more about WHO we are that WHAT we do.  Maybe we should all focus on being great at being good.

About the author

Jen

I am a JENerosity seeker who believes that life is better when we choose to take advantage of opportuntities to give. The universe provides these blessings in forms that are both great and small. My desire is to capture these moments, share them in an authentic and creative way and inspire others to spread JENerosity one moment at a time. With Jenerosity comes Joy!