"Good to great" implies significant improvement. For most people, doing a good job is all that is expected. Anything else is foolish or unnecessary, and we often label excellence as overkill. I recall some years ago that I questioned one of my students about his lack of interest in class. He answered, "If the minimum wasn’t good enough, it wouldn’t be the minimum."
There are others in the world that content themselves with past accomplishments, thinking that they have already achieved their ultimate goals. When Albert Einstein developed his theory of relativity, the world was enraptured with his explanation of how the universe began. No one bothered to question his presuppositions and virtually accepted his theory as the answer to the space-time continuum.
Then a few years later, an unlikely source, a priest named Lamatre who happened to be a physicist, developed the theory that the universe started small and is in a constant state of expansion. He applauded Einstein, but he argued that his theory of relativity did not go far enough. As the years passed, we have found that Lamatre’s theory has proven more accurate than Einstein’s.
Going from good to great is nothing new. Twenty centuries ago, a man named Saul of Tarsus thought that he had reached spiritual perfection. Concerning the Jewish law (Torah), he considered himself perfect, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. By all spiritual measurements, Saul was an outstanding individual — a good man. He was so righteous that he persecuted those who differed in their assessment of the spiritual life.
It was not until the road to Damascus, when Jesus Christ challenged Saul to a life of faith, that he began to see just how short he was of spiritual perfection. Until Jesus called on him to change, Saul had missed out on the human capital necessary for a vital life, and he was in danger of wasting the few gifts and talents that he had on the pretense of self-proclaimed superiority.
Saul had failed to grasp the immensity and complexity of love’s dynamic strength because he thought he was already there spiritually. So, where are you? Most of you will be tempted to say, "I’m a good person, a valued employee, and a wonderful companion. I’m there."
Do you truly believe that you are at the pinnacle of your career, your success, your spiritual maturity? Think again! Like Saul, perhaps you need to be challenged to exceed the requirements of your job, your career, your spiritual development.
Saul, after considering all that his conceit had denied him, allowed himself to envision the possibilities afforded him in faith. Through faith in what God could accomplish through him, Saul went from being an obscure Pharisee to the greatest apostle of the Christian church. He transformed from Saul, a good man, to Paul, a great man of Christ.
Remember that great people often start out as obscure individuals who fill a great need or who bridge a great chasm at the right place and at the right time. Let us strive to move from good to great. Let’s make a difference.
(The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.)