Do you strive for greatness?
Over the weekend I was reflecting on the concept of Success in Balance. Part of me thought perhaps I should have called it Success With Balance, but as I thought about it more the work “with†applies some independence, while “in†seems to imply some dependence. So “with†to me says success and balance are two different things, but “in†seems to say that the two work together. So what does this have to do with greatness? Well I think it all comes down to how you define success. This past week I had my annual goal setting session with my department chair and he was commenting on the weights that I have assigned for each of my areas of responsibility (teaching, research, and service). He was asking my logic as to why I had chosen the weights. He then told me how I could actually still do ok in that area this year. But as we talked I said “my goal is not to simply be acceptable in each of these areas, but to be outstanding.†He seemed pleased, but a bit stunned (stunned is a bit to strong, but you get the point).
From this I then thought, we see this in academics, in government, etc., how many of us define greatness by what others think of us? Do you define greatness by your annual evaluation?
Then today I was reading about Daniel Drezner being denied tenure at the University of Chicago and some attributing it to the time he spent blogging. Yet when Dr. Drezner looked back on the experience he said he would not change a thing. To me this is the mark of greatness; to make the best decision possible and never look back. Do you think George Washington, Albert Einstein, your favorite inspirational person, worries about what others thought? I don’t think so. I think Dr. Drezner will find himself a much better person for having done what he thought was right and touching many people in the process.
So, are you striving for greatness? And if so, greatness in what? My next post will be about the roles we play in life and how they can help or hinder us as we try to achieve success in balance with the rest of our lives.
