Jim Collins wrote a pivotal book called Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t. I loved one of the quotes found on Collins’ website: “Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice and discipline.” (It is easy to make the choice. It is harder to take the continuous grueling step to discipline…daily. I would say that is a substantial “leap.”)
Collins wondered if a good company could become a great company. He and his twenty-one man team looked through more than 1,000 companies. Eleven companies were chosen for careful study. Over two thousand pages of interview notes were generated. They studied the heart, mind, and soul of truly great companies. These companies had managed to figure out how to move from good to great.
Chip Ingram came along and wrote Good to Great in God’s Eyes: 10 Practices Great Christians Have in Common. I read this simple book and it has become one of my all-time favorites and remains on my bookshelf. It shows how Christians honor God with their lives, great faith, and excellent work. Amazon.com gave the following write-up concerning the book:
“Believers become great in God’s eyes by applying the 10 common characteristics of great Christians:
- think great thoughts
- read great books
- pursue great people
- dream great dreams
- pray great prayers
- take great risks
- make great sacrifices
- enjoy great moments
- empower great people
- develop great habits.
Using Scripture, personal stories, and examples from Christians who left a lasting legacy, bestselling author Chip Ingram offers practical steps for becoming great in all areas of life, in spiritual growth, family, relationships, and career.”
James Poitras 