We’ve all been around greatness. At work. In sports or at the gym. In our community. Perhaps others might even describe you as great.
But what does it actually mean to be great?
It’s one of those ambiguous words that means something slightly different depending on who is defining it. We recognize it when we see it, but what is it that we’re actually seeing?
Rather than define it, I want to talk about the traits that consistently accompany greatness.
Greatness leaves clues.
Here’s 3 to look for (and a recipe for becoming great in your own life).
Greatness is setting a high bar.
Whether on a field or in an office, those that are great elevate everyone around them. They have high standards for themselves and these high standards spillover to everyone in their orbit.
One study found that high performers boost the performance of those around them by 15%. That’s the spillover.
But taking it a step further, I think that spillover is also driven by great people helping others see greatness in themselves.
Because they have a high bar for their own performance, they expect and encourage this from those around them. They see it in others before others see it in themselves, and have the humility to elevate the team over elevating their own status.
Greatness is being consistent.
When someone is great at what they do, people know what to expect from them. And they know what to expect from them because they’re consistent.
Consistent in how they treat others. Consistent in their standards. Consistent in their energy. Consistent in how to they respond to adversity.
Put another way, greatness doesn’t happen sporadically. Those that are truly great are consistently great. They view their core task as showing up with high standards over a long arc of time, letting their success be the natural outcome of their consistency.
Greatness is showing up when it’s hard and when you’re needed.
Those that are great run head first into the hard situation, not away from it. If the obstacle is the way, they’re confronting the obstacle.
When things are tough, they’re front and center. They don’t shy away from hard conversations, hard decisions, and hard looks in the mirror.
This is what separates good leaders from great leaders. When confronted with the inevitable adversity that comes with the territory of doing hard things, they show up. They don’t pass blame. They don’t remove themselves. They lean in, not out.
I can’t tell you how to be great in whatever you do.
I can’t tell my clients how to be great in whatever they do.
But I can encourage them to raise their own bar. And I can encourage them to be consistent in their approach to life and work. And I can encourage them to step into the hard stuff.
And if they do that?
Greatness will likely take care of itself.
If you find value in the things I publish here, it’d mean the world if you’d share it with someone else. It’s the only way this space and community continues to grow.
✌️ and ❤️,
Adam Griffin
I think you're great