The Greatness Challenge
FranklinCovey has dedicated itself and its resources to understanding the challenge of greatness at perhaps an
unprecedented level.
We have been deep within the operations of hundreds of different organizations. We have analyzed detailed survey
data from hundreds of thousands of individuals, from thousands of teams, and facilitated thousands of team and
individual discussions about this data and what gets in the way of achieving greatness.
What we found in all of our research is that everybody wants greatness, but few ever achieve it.
What Is Greatness?
While absolute financial or operating performance is often the only “measure of greatness” people look at, our
research shows that great organizations always produce four key “outcomes.” These four outcomes produced by great
performers are:
Sustained superior performance. They succeed financially, or operationally, in both the short and long
term - and not just on an absolute basis, but relative to their market potential or the hand they’re dealt.
Intensely loyal customers. They earn not only the “satisfaction” of their customers, but their true
loyalty.
Highly engaged and loyal employees. The people who work at great organizations are more than satisfied -
they are energized and passionate about what they do.
Distinctive contribution. They do more than “business as usual”—they fulfill a unique mission that sets them apart from the crowd.
These four outcomes are measurable, unmistakable, and attainable by any organization.
The Rewards of Greatness
Why would an organization “go for greatness”? Why not settle for merely being good? What is the value of meeting the greatness challenge?
It turns out that the rewards of achieving this rare level of success are enormous. Great organizations:
Are 50 percent more profitable than their peers.
Grow more than twice as fast as their peers.
Win the loyalty of all stakeholders, which makes it easier to continue to win in the future.
Beyond these rewards, there is something deeper and more meaningful: the reward that comes only to those who have
truly paid the price to excel.
To build a great organization, you need great leaders and effective people who execute the organization’s mission with excellence.
Great leaders who inspire trust are essential. Without them, there is no vision of where to go - nor strategy nor systems for getting there. But great leaders aren’t enough.
Effective individuals are essential. Without effective people, the organization is destined for
mediocrity or worse. But effective individuals aren’t enough.
Without a shared process for focusing on and executing the organization’s mission, the most inspired and capable
people fall short of greatness. But with such a process, great people can build something important and
enduring.
