It’s now time for Part 2 of the “Dare to be Great” series, with even more contributions from some brilliant minds from around the social media and blogging world. If you missed Part 1, check it out here for the explanation and first three contributors.
It’s All About the Results (Danny Brown)
So many people and businesses judge greatness by the results – how many sales were made, how many emails were clicked, how much profits are up.
That’s not greatness – that’s success.
You want to measure greatness through results? See what others are doing through you. See how others are leading and defining themselves because of you. See what changes are happening in people because of you.
You want to run a great company? Then run a great company – make everyone a leader in their field and offer them the freedom to create magic. Make your customers leaders too – let them help shape your brand to define your needs as well as their own.
It’s easy to be good, but greatness needs to come from within. Encourage it, and you’ll receive it.
Danny Brown likes to have conversations about social media tools for marketing, PR and communications over at his blog. Feel free to join in anytime.
Define Your Own Greatness (Matt Cheuvront)
How do we separate the good from the great? The successes from the failures? The men from the boys? How do you define ‘greatness’? Merriam-Webster has many definitions of ‘great’, but my personal favorite, albeit somewhat general, is “markedly superior in character or quality”.
Being great isn’t about doing something better than everyone else. In fact, it has nothing to do with the people around you – as you strive for greatness, one must first look within. Ask yourself this: What can I do that no one else is doing? What can I offer my customers that no one else has thought of? To me, greatness is synonymous with uniqueness – particularly in the business world. Whether you’re selling yourself or a pair of shoes, it’s doesn’t have to be about offering a better product. Rather, it should be about a greater service, a superior experience, presenting added benefits that enhance the perceived value of your ‘product’.
What defines the good from the great? One word: Effort. Those who are willing to put themselves out there, challenging their own will, persevering through adversity – it’s those who hold their head high and stay one step ahead of the rest who will always achieve greatness.
Do what YOU love, pursue YOUR passions, forget what everyone else thinks and do what YOU think is best. Knowing that you’ve lived a life without saying “I can’t” is one of the greatest successes any man (or woman) could ever hope to achieve.
Matt Cheuvront is an entrepreneur, freelance writer, and social media enthusiast. See how far the rabbit hole goes and check out his blog, Life Without Pants, today.
Elisa Doucette
It doesn’t take a lot to be good at something. If you have natural talent, if you are an innovator, if you have the right resources or cirumstances…the list of caveats that make people stop and take notice could go on and on. So what is it that boosts us from that “look at me, look at me!” situation to a “You GOTTA check this out” world?
Good people/companies/ideas will ride the wave of “getting by.” They are the one hit wonders, the commercials that get old after a month, the books that never get to a second printing. They put in the least amount of effort hoping to get the biggest payout. The difference between good and great is hard work, practice and never settling for mediocrity.
Elisa is a not-so-average girl next door who writes various musings and ramblings about the beautiful disaster that is her life over at Ophelia’s Webb
Stuart Foster
Execution. Execution. Execution. Great ideas can be implemented. Good ideas only look great on the drawing board.
How many ideas have you had that did not come to fruition? I’m guessing well into the thousands. The reason? They probably weren’t that awesome. If they were then they would have made a bigger impact on their detractors and forced them to at least augment or shape your current idea.
In order to be a great leader you need to be able to build both consensus and be at the forefront of any push that you work towards. You need to be at the front line and fight for your beliefs and stand up for those who might get overlooked. Promoting others ahead of yourself? Now that is a leader.
Stuart is knowledgeable and passionate about PR, Marketing, and Social Media. He is currently a Social Media Strategist at Mullen, is also consulting with Street Attack, and is Founder of The Lost Jacket blog.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Dare to Be Great series! Be sure to check out each of these brilliant people at their own blogs hyperlinked after each of their contributions!
Questions to ponder in the comments section:
- What do you think separates the good from the great?
- Do you agree/disagree on some of the points made above?
Help Spread the Word on Twitter!
Pt. 2 of the “Dare to be Great Series” at @jackieadkins blog ft. @dannybrown @opheliaswebb @mattchevy @stuartcfoster– http://bit.ly/gmUpl
Photo Credit: jcolman
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I really like how these all start coming together and working off of each other. For example, when I first read Matt’s I somewhat disagreed. I’ve seen plenty of people with TONS of effort that were never great. I’ve seen people work harder and longer to no avail (both in sports and business.) Sometimes they just don’t have the capacity, not for that particular discipline no matter how hard they work or how passionate they are.
THEN I thought about Danny’s comment and concluded that great is precisely what those people are. They’re just not successful. What a great perspective to think about it from. Good job bringing all these smart people (and that one other guy) together to contribute on this mini-project. Love of good value here.
I think I have the same “stuck in the middle” syndrome that Ryan had yesterday!
Matt, brilliant as always, makes a great point in that good people want to do well by the people around them. They want people to take notice, and sometimes they really ARE good at what they do. Great people, however, are passionate and want to be the greatest that they can be, and they’ll never settle for “just being good enough.”
Stuart (also brilliant) outlines the process that excels people from good to great. It’s al in the execution, being willing to put in the hard work and practice to take yourself to the next level. Why did Tiger (ok, not the BEST of examples after his last outing!) change his swing after winning the Open? Cause he knew that being good with his swing would never propel him to the next level.
I guess I included all three of those (never settling, hard work and practice) in mine, they just said it WAY more eloquently!
I like hearing that @Danny @Matt and @Elisa all talk about greatness being innate and existing WITHIN the person. I really think that “great” people are born and not created. Although it may take them a while to realize it or find their greatness, I think that is the small difference between the great and good. Good round today guys!
I’m kind of mad that my bio isn’t nearly as awesome as Ryan’s from Part 1.
Frack.
So, we have Grace that can’t keep to the word limit and a bio competition that wasn’t announced? “Ye used me, Skinner, ye used me!”
Great idea for a thoroughly enjoyable mini-series Jackie, and it’s been cool to read the views of people that I both know and have yet to know (soon to be remedied). I think it’s clear to see that the difference between good and great is the mindset. Some are happy to be good (and hey, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that), while others want to continue to question.
It’s finding the answers and creating new questions that take it to the next stage.
Thanks again for having me part of such a great collection, fella.
Great series that effectively brought together varying perspectives on the issue. The takeaway? There is more than one way to define greatness – it truly is in the eye of the beholder. My personal thought: Don’t let others determine your greatness – set goals and strive to meet and exceed them. Surprise yourself, don’t settle, and you will always separate yourself from the good to the great.
Ha, I agree the bio Ryan included with his post wins.
I noticed the same thing, nobody overlapped the same ideas really and they all fed off of each other, which worked really well!
Haha, you nailed it Danny, you got played! Lol. I was really excited to have you participate and am equally excited you enjoyed it. I definitely agree that many people are okay with being good, which is still a whole lot better than being mediocre or bad. Hopefully this collection of thoughts will inspire someone to take that extra step and strive for greatness!
Who knows, maybe some of the insights each of you provided will help someone find that greatness that is somewhere deep down inside that they haven’t quite found, yet!
Well I’m honored to have each of you and your insights up here on my blog, regardless of what order you’re in! Even if Tiger got left in the dust in the UK, I’d definitely agree that he defines greatness when it comes to golf or sports in general.
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