Jim Collins, while studying numerous organizations over a five year period of time, shared valuable lessons in his book “Good to Great” to help move businesses away from the status quo and accepting mediocrity.
Mr. Collins main conclusion is that the vast majority of companies never become great precisely because they become quite good – and that is their main problem.
As a community, we face a similar dilemma of too many businesses and organizations suggesting that they are “doing fine” and as a result, don’t choose to become part of the solution to help make our community great. Fine is a four-letter word and organizations throughout the valley should reject fine and aim higher.
Accepting Mr. Collins assumption that “good is the enemy of great” can be applied to our valley and our business community. After a number of rough years due to the global economy and inconsistent weather, many businesses are reporting that things are “fine” or that things are “good”. Is business being “good” enough for us? Is our air service being “fine” what we strive for? Are efforts to increase regional collaboration unnecessary since we’re “fine” as is?
Being “fine” is one of the reasons that so little that becomes truly great. We don’t have great air service to the Eagle County Regional Airport, principally because we have a good enough air program. We don’t have great collaboration between our various special districts and industry groups, principally because we have relationships that are good enough. We don’t have a great trail system for our locals and visitors, precisely because it is easy to settle for a good enough system that grows slowing within the constraints of limited funding. We don’t have a great local transit system, partially because we have a system that is just decent enough to move employees throughout the valley.
Vail’s founders didn’t settle for “fine” – they continued to strive for greatness in their efforts to build a world-class resort community. Similarly, Beaver Creek was built around the same idea of greatness. Numerous examples exist today of organizations and business entities that don’t settle for “fine”. Consider the Town of Vail’s efforts to continue to push for new and improved special events or the Vail Valley Foundation’s efforts to coordinate the USA Pro Cycling Challenge and the upcoming 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships. These efforts help make our valley great by enhancing the guest experience and drawing new visitors to our valley.
Numerous examples of striving for “great” and not settling for “fine” exist in private business as well. Consider the various private renovations in Vail over the past 10 years or businesses that participate in programs such as the Partnership’s Platinum Service Program to continually improve their guest service and train their staff on customer service an ongoing basis. Others are active participants in their local chambers or industry groups, striving to be part of the solution to the various challenges facing their communities. Still other organizations encourage their employees to get involved in non-profit organizations, not only giving their employees time to get involved in the community but encouraging service outside the scope of their direct business. These businesses are striving for “great” and reject the idea of doing “fine”.
Fine. Good. Blah. All are four-letter words that hold us back from really being as great a business community as we can be. Urban Dictionary, a resource not nearly as eloquent or learned as Mr. Colllins book, offers a rather blunt definition of “fine” that is applicable to our collective goal to be great. Their definition isn’t fit to print in a family-friendly publication, but suffice it to say it sums up “fine” using another four-letter word that starts with f.
Next time someone asks how business is or how you are doing, reject the answer “fine”. Instead, think about how restrictive that word is and aim a bit higher. We can do better than fine by working together as a business community and focusing on being great instead of settling for fine.
How can your business be part of the solution? If you benefit from our tourism promotion, business services, collaborative programming and economic development efforts, consider joining the Vail Valley Partnership. Membership starts at $1 per day. Visit www.vailvalleypartnership.com to learn more.