Moving from Good to Great and Leaving a Legacy

When do we move from being good to becoming great? When does an organisation or individual achieve greatness? When do we know that something that we have built will last for generations? Is it the CEO or the leader that makes the difference? Or is it their flagship program? Is it their track record, their rapid growth and amazing results that makes them great?

 Looking at people, organisations, movements, companies around the world, there are very few things that they have in common, things they have done differently that moved them from merely being good to achieving greatness and lasting for a long time. It is not very difficult to spot but it is not easy to replicate as it needs commitment and tenacity to pursue what they did differently or to do very ordinary things consistently that brought them cult status.

Here are a few principles or values that are indispensable if one wants to move from being just good to great and enduring on long after we are gone.

Clarity of Vision: where there is a crystal clear vision people tend to rally around it and move forward. People are always attracted to audacious yet clear vision, they love to join something or someone who knows where they are going. Look at any entity that has been around for over 40-50 years and still going strong, check their vision statement, it will be crystal clear.

Value of Discipline & Excellence: discipline and excellence go hand in hand, if we have set a high bench mark of excellence for our self and others in the firm and have persistently achieved those standards then we are on a journey to greatness. Take a look at any firm or company that are doing extremely well, one of their core values will be their commitment to excel in the field that they are focusing on. Averages and mediocrity are antithetic to greatness. Excellence is not achieved through overnight half- hearted efforts it is through years of disciplined and strenuous hardwork that one reaches those high standards. 

People are Prime: any entity or organisation that has valued their product, systems and processes more than its people has never become great nor has survived for long because ultimately all the systems and processes exists for the people and if they are not taken seriously  nothing works unless you are running a fully automated company. Take a look at some of the great companies or institutions around and if we ask the staff there for their level of satisfaction and fulfilment with the company, it will no doubt be very high. They value authentic relationships and the amount of trust built up over the years in those relationships will be tremendous which goes beyond retirement, they carry that pride lifelong.  The moment people realise that they are mere cannon fodder to be used and discarded the life span of that entity is fatally numbered.

Flat leadership: Most of the great institutions or companies would have been built up by legendary visionary leaders but they would have consciously cultivated a flat and shared leadership structure than a top down vertical command hierarchy.  Because they know that a top down rank and file leadership structure might get things done efficiently but creates division and stifles growth where as a flat organisation is conducive for creativity, innovation and transparency, where opinions flow without fear, where people are valued not for their titles or chairs but for their skills and what they bring to the table, where respect is earned not a given, where the playing field is open and level for everyone in the organisation.

Developing leaders: everything rises and falls on leadership, any organisation or company that has focused on developing the right kind of leaders and invested heavily on it have gone on to achieve greatness. If they have hinged completely on the original leaders vision and leadership and created a bunch of followers and sycophants, it has not survived the leader for long. An insecure leader will always cover him with “yes men” who will sing paeans of the leader and will never present another point of view.  Great leaders cover themselves with other strong leaders who will dissent, have conflicting opinions and raise questions when needed. To collaborate, to come to a consensus and to align all of them to the common vision is a skill that leaders of great organisations have exemplified.  

Almost every good leader worth his salt will have a clear personal vision about  his life, passion and work, to galvanise all of them and rally them around a common vision is an impossible  task  for weak leaders and any organisation that has successfully done that  has passed the test of greatness and has endured for generations. The best and worst example is one of the major political party in India, at its prime in the 80s & 90s it looked invincible with a strong central leadership supported ably by a galaxy of powerful local and regional leaders who were stalwarts in their own rights, once they were gone it is just the central leadership trying to prop up sorry figures and it is no wonder why it finds itself in a pathetic place today.

Flexibility and adaptability- Any organisation that has held on to its original tried, tested and successful methods and work culture, doggedly resisting change have ceased to exist or has become irrelevant. Willing to adapt and being flexible to the changing environment and needs around are distinct elements that has catapulted average entities to achieve greatness. Leaders who foresee a need and initiate change slowly but steadily, without much fanfare and advertisements and yet produce the desired outcomes are the key in taking the company to greater heights.

Absolute integrity and transparency in financial and ethical matters: any organization or entity that has compromised in this area has fallen flat in no time. Anyone who has struck to this code of absolute integrity in financial, moral and ethical matters and has a great track record of abiding by this principle has gone on to become great and lasting institutions worth emulating. Nothing can survive for long with a flawed moral and ethical black hole even if you are having a great bull-run in the market showing extraordinary profit and growth.

Adding value: The entities that have stayed long and achieved greatness has something bigger than their stated goals, they add value to people around, to the society and nation at large. They don’t exist just for themselves, their profits and their employees, they are willing to give back and bless others in the process. By what I do well consistently, I might become good but to achieve greatness I need to add value to others around me, by giving away and sharing resources, making their lives better and in turn impacting and changing the society leaving an indelible mark of greatness, creating a lasting legacy.

These are few of the crucial building blocks needed to move from good to great and if one has been consistent in following through on these principles then they are destined for greatness in the long run.