Hunting Greatness

“What are you doing each day to be great? I’m not just chasing it; I’m not hoping to catch greatness. I’m hunting it with a purpose, with vision, with a passion.” 

I recently featured the above quote in my closing remarks at Groupware’s quarterly state-of-the company meeting for all employees. Originating with NFL All-Pro defensive end JJ Watt, the theme of “hunting greatness” was to me, important to emphasize to my team during these uncertain times.

For it is in uncertain times that it’s easy for a business just to shrug, play it safe and have a “take the cards you’ve been dealt” approach to operating their company. On the contrary, in times of uncertainty, it is, rather than playing it safe and sticking to the status quo, essential to think outside the box and come up with solutions to improving on what you are currently doing and how you can offer even more value to your customers and stakeholders.

Entrepreneurs are risk takers and they think outside the box—all qualities which you need in order to “hunt greatness.” I wrote in a previous blog that it’s the “spirit of the entrepreneur” that positions us to not only survive periods of uncertainty but eventually thrive in spite of the odds. The better you can position your company and by extension, your customers, to do well in uncertain times, the better chance you and your customers have of flourishing once the uncertainties diminish.

During the recession of the mid-2000s which posed major challenges for the IT industry, numerous tech companies played it safe—they implemented deep spending cuts and hunkered down to ride out the recession and hope that things turned out for the best. Groupware went against the grain. Instead of cutting costs, we strategically invested in new business opportunities and differentiated our service offerings to provide better value to our customers.

Fast forward 10+ years later and our approach in a time of economic uncertainly has not changed— Improvement. Thinking outside the box. Differentiating our offerings to better serve our customers. Instead of retrenching, we are reimagining how we can better engage with customers and serve their evolving needs.

JJ Watt noted that he is always looking to maximize his potential: “If you’re not waking up trying to be the best athlete in the world,” he said, “you’re not hunting greatness.” Taking from this analogy as JJ Watt applied it to sports, it can certainly be applied to business as well—if you’re not waking up every day asking how you can improve your company to be the best, you’re not hunting greatness.