I’m reading Good to Great by Jim Collins right now and I am really enjoying it. I know, I know. I’m late on this one but there are so many great books to read and I’ve got to slip in a Dean Koontz every now and then.

I love books that are based on conclusions which, in turn, are based on research and I tip my hat to the massive amount of data it took to put a book like this together. One key idea that struck me in the book is that most of the leaders, the CEO’s, experienced tough or pivotal moments in their lives, moments that made them who they were. Some were tragedies, some were spiritual awakenings, and some were war stories. I found this commonality as well when I did my own research on people who had ONO and I called these experiences, “transition moments.”

People who become leaders live life to the fullest, take what it gives, and look for the lessons that grow from those tough experiences. The Good to Great CEO’s were growth minded and took every opportunity to learn. Another interesting trait was that these great leaders shared was humility. I missed this trait in my survey of ONO people, but while reading Good to Great I realized that it was there. Now that I think of it, they all had it.

Humility is one character trait that has always been a struggle for me and I’m still working on it. Even now, admitting that I missed such an important trait when I interviewed people with ONO is difficult for me. Throughout most of my young life I believed I wasn’t worth much, and so I learned to stretch the truth and pound my chest hoping someone else would think better of me than I thought of myself.

Not a big deal, I’m grateful for the reminder that I still have things to work on, and I feel blessed to be willing to look at the tough stuff. I’m continually reminded that I owe it to my family to be an effective bread winner but, more importantly to be a “great” man, and I have to be that first - before I can ever be a great husband and a great father.