"Good To Great": A Great Leader Inspires

"Greatness exists in all of us"

Collin’s book, “Good to Great”, has made me look at leadership from a different perspective. I thought that being a good leader was a good thing, and it is for most people. However, according to Collins, “good is the enemy of great”. He believes that being good is a bad thing because it means that you are not unlocking your full potential or reaching outside of your comfort zone to blossom into greatness. To really strive for excellence, you have to put your all into your role as a leader, and keep your followers and their well being a priority. Although this seems like a simple concept, it is actually very difficult to dedicate yourself to something so much that you become the best at it and inspire others to grow into their own strong leader. It takes a lot to be that one person who encourages others to strive for greatness, and Collin’s outlines how great leaders do so in his book.

Throughout the semester as I read each chapter of the book, I could see that “Good to Great” has principles that overlap the different leadership styles and theories that we have learned. The transformational leader that we have discussed in class encompasses the Level 5 leadership qualities that Collin’s refers to as a great leader throughout the book. At the end of the book, Collin’s refers to being great as having meaning and making a contribution. He leaves us with this: “You might even gain that deepest of all satisfactions; knowing that your short time here on this earth has been well spent, and that it mattered”. To me, a transformational leader is someone who does this; who inspires others and creates something that matters. For example, in the movie Mona Lisa Smile, the modern art teacher Mrs. Watson teaches her students to think outside the box and not follow society’s traditional role for women. Mrs. Watson never gives up on the girls, despite being pushed away by them (and the school board). She remains empathetic towards their struggles and is passionate about inspiring each girl in their own way (using situational leadership). At the end of the movie, the girls start to make decisions for themselves and they understand the importance of Mrs. Watson’s leadership lessons that she was teaching them all along. Her goal was to transform the lives of her students, so that they in turn were inspired to lead others in the same way – the goal of a great leader.

Before taking this leadership course, I did not pay too much attention to the type of leader I was. I thought that being a leader was just a black and white role, you either take on the position of a leader or you don’t. However, after reading “Good to Great”, many leadership articles, having open in class discussions, and learning about different leadership theories and styles in class, I have learned that leadership comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. I also began analyzing myself as a leader in different situations. I have observed what kind of leadership qualities that I possess and how I can focus on developing my leadership skills. This has made me become more aware of how I engage with different people everyday and allows me to take a step back and question whether I have an impression on them or not. My goal in life is to reach out to people and encourage their strength. I want to inspire people to be kind and genuine, and never give up on their dreams, despite what society tells them. Although Collin’s sees greatness as a huge success and something that not many people can achieve, if I can make a difference for at least one person with my leadership, then I will consider myself great!