NO RISK...NO REWARD - Good is the enemy of Great.

November 11, 1939 the Texas Tech Red Riders come to Shreveport, LA to face the Centenary Gents in a rain soaked stadium resulting in one of the weirdest games in the history of college football. In the course of this game there were 77 punts, 67 of which occurred on the first down. During the second half, the teams punted 22 times in a row. However, there was one record set during this game that perhaps will never be broken. Texas Tech punter, Charlie Callihan, punted 36 times for 1,318 yards. Texas ran only 12 offensive plays that day resulting in a whopping -1 yard total. When all was said and done the final score was 0-0.

The teams decided they would play no risk football and it resulted in mediocrity. Maybe mediocrity is being kind since neither team did anything to gain success. They settled for just filling up the time clock which resulted in not making the most of the opportunity provided. They decided mediocrity was good enough. Worse than that, they perhaps never saw it as a failure to only hold the status quo.

In his book, Good To Great, author, Jim Collins, tackles this very subject when he opens with the words, “Good is the enemy of great.” In the course of this book he gives example after example of businesses settling for good enough ultimately resulting in failure. In contrast, he introduces his readers to organizations/businesses refusing to settle for mediocrity. He displays the results of their decision to be great and not simply good enough...to not stay within the safe status quo.

This is a struggle encountered by every person in most every endeavor. I was given a personal example of this the other day when I created a poster for a show. I was quite proud of my creation until I showed it to my daughter, who I must admit is far more creative than I. When I asked her opinion of my work her response was, “Eh, it’s good enough I suppose.” Good enough? I don’t want good enough, I want great! When she took what I had done into her capable hands it transformed into just that. I was amazed at what it had become. If I had settled then it would have simply been good but I didn’t and neither did my daughter so it went from good to great - took the risk and gained a reward.

Businesses, or anyone really, who become great this is their motto. They understood to gain the rewards desired they must be willing to take the risks needed to achieve it. The same is true for an entertainer. Legends are the ones who refuse to settle for ‘good enough’ they continually strive for greatness.  Too many times when we settle it isn’t too long until what we once thought was “good enough” simply becomes “not good at all.” We deem the reward of great simply isn’t worth the risk, resulting in a score of 0-0.

No Risk….No Reward! Do not settle for good enough because when you look at it, there is nothing in it.