What's the Difference Between Good and Great?
From the Strategic Project Management Blog
by Ty Kiisel
Humorist and author Mark Twain said, "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and the lightening bug."
I have to agree with Twain, I think the difference between something that's good and something that's great is often very small. I wonder if the same holds true when we consider the differences between a good project team and one that's really great.
I'd like to take a little bit different approach today and ask all of you, what's the difference between a good team and a great team, a good project manager and a great one, a good team member and a great one?
Thanks in advance for participating in today's conversation. I'm really looking forward to learning from you. I'll share more of my thoughts in a couple of days after we've had the chance to hear from all of you.
Posted on: March 09, 2011 10:42 AM |
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Comments (4)
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cristian rosu
Global Business Manager| MAHLE GmbH
Regensburg, Germany
A good project manager is the one getting the output in the agreed limits of cost, quality, and time. The great one is the project manager that achieves his or her targets and makes friends in the same time. I refrain from saying great means faster, or better product/service, or cheapper, because faster might mean burning the resources, better might mean extra features not wanted by the customer, and cheapper might mean less valuable or less durable. When I am saying making friends I am talking about suppliers, customers, shareholders, peers, and team members. If a project manager manage to achieve all his targets and tops up his or her emotional account with all these people then this is for me the definition of a great project manager.
I appreciate the insight of Vince Lombardi: "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of determination."
Sometimes we are at the precipice of the "next level" whether that be in technical skill, relations with people our personal life, spiritual walk, etc. Problem is, we just don't realize it and give up too soon on the project, the dreams.
With that in mind, good versus great is someone who presses on, is not satisfied with the status quo and has the courage, tenacity (and sometimes insanity) to keep going when others have checked out.
Ty Kiisel
Manager Social Outreach| AtTask
Lehi, Ut, United States
"Good versus great is someone who presses on, is not satisfied with the status quo and has the courage, tenacity (and sometimes insanity) to keep going when others have checked out."
I couldn't have said this any better myself.
Wai Mun Koo
PMO Director| Intergraph PP&M
Singapore, Singapore
Stacey, this reminds me of Harvey Mackay's famous quote - “Be like a postage stamp. Stick to it until you get there.”
vive la Energizer Bunny...
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