Good to Great

Monday night, while at small group, Ted mentioned a book he has read Good to Great. The book is about companies through out the country that went from being good companies, rolling along making a little money, to GREAT companies. Companies that we know and use on a daily basis. (Sounds like a great book doesn't it? And no, I'm not being sarcastic. Seriously, I'm not.) Here's the thing....I think the same can be said of the average American Man. I am a good man. (Raise your hand if you are humble.) I strive to be a great man. (A small part of me thinks this is why I joined the Army, and why I would like to run for State House of Representatives one day.) I think all men do. No one wakes up in the morning and says, "YOu know what? I think I am really going to suck today." It is a deep desire for all men to be great at what they do. We want to feel needed. (Which is why I think most men will not miss work, unless they are on their death-bed. We feel as if, if we don't show up for work, we won't be missed. And we aren't missed, then... well, we are expendable. And being expendable is as bad as being worthless. We've got to work, because if we don't we would like to believe that the place would fall apart with out us. ) Getting back on track..... We want to be great at what we do. So, why aren't we great? Why do so many men fall just short of greatness, and so many more fall much farther away? Maybe it's the feminists (I always want to blame them for everything any way) Maybe it's the fact that the only certainties in life are death and taxes. Maybe that scares the ever loving crap out of all of us. If I asked ten people to name ten great men, I imagine that 6 of them would name at least 3 of the same people. (I have no proof of this, it is purely speculation on my part.) So what separates those guys from the rest of us average joes. Is it drive? Skill? Luck? Or a lot of all three? What is a great man any way? If a guy is great in business and earns his company bunches of money, but fails miserably at home with his wife and kids is he any more great than the guy who has to work two jobs to help make ends meet, but still finds time to read is daughter a bed-time story everynight? I think we would all agree that the second guy is the greater of the two. What if both were deacons in their perspective church? What if we never knew that man #1 was a big jerk at home? The perception would be that man #1 is a great guy. But perception isn't always reality.
Dude! (for you Kelly)