{"id":2518,"date":"2014-09-19T23:55:49","date_gmt":"2014-09-19T23:55:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=2518"},"modified":"2014-09-19T23:57:07","modified_gmt":"2014-09-19T23:57:07","slug":"the-spirt-of-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/the-spirt-of-fear\/","title":{"rendered":"The Spirt of Fear"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"sof\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jim Collins\u2019s book Good to Great <\/em>was a fun and educational read. Collins starts out with an admonition about the fact that \u201cgood is the enemy of great.\u201d[1]<\/a> This can be an energizing and convicting proposition for people who have already arrived at a good bottom-line in business and are in position to became a great company. From Collins\u2019 perspective, the term \u201cgreat\u201d applies to companies like \u201cGeneral Electric (considered by many to be the best-led company in America at the end of the twentieth century) outperformed the market by 2.8 times over the fifteen year 1985 to 2000.\u201d[2]<\/a> Certainly a congratulatory pat on the shoulder is due for business leaders who have lived in the universe of the \u201cgreats\u201d due to their successful careers and hereditary financial privileges.<\/p>\n

Part of the genesis of Good to Great<\/em>, emerges out of a \u201c\u2026 discussion about organizational performance.\u201d[3]<\/a>One of the business leaders who was at the meeting with Jim, challenged him about his precious work noting; \u201cthe companies you wrote about where, for the most part, always great,\u201d he said. \u201cThey never had to turn themselves from good companies into great companies.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

The quest for growth is a human desire given by God. It is absolutely normal for human beings to seek a meaningful, hopeful and joyful life. In fact God having created human beings in His own image, set up people with the impetus for experiencing a transformational life. Going from one place to another in business, studies, travels, career and spirituality? However, like Jim\u2019s colleague dared to ask, how well should one perform and how should work go from the level before the good level, and from good level to the great level? It is said that anyone can do anything she or he wants, as long as such a one puts their mind to it. In my experience, going from one point in life, work, spirituality and career is an intense journey. How does one balance the need to earn certain achievements and the yearning for fame, self-importance and self-defeating pride? There are many points I would like to lay out but I must put my finger on one, and that is fear. The nature of how fear operates is perplexing because it can grip a human soul in a torturous manner.<\/p>\n

Fear can take a person to the lowest places and from bad to worse. Yet fear is also present, though perhaps subdued for some, on the road from good to great. Many times, I have and still have to battle with fear, time and time again. I have looked the spirit of fear in the face and sometimes, it seems, like fear has won. I would like to give examples but each time I think of one good one, another great one presents itself. I know of a fear that has always been present even when big career opportunities come my way. It is the fear failing, accompanied by performance anxiety and this is why I find Collins\u2019 advice timely. Collins writes:<\/p>\n

It takes discipline to say \u201cno, thank you\u201d to big opportunities. The fact that something is a \u201conce-in-a-lifetime opportunity\u201d is irrelevant if it doesn\u2019t fit with the three circles. \u201c[5]<\/a> The author is referring to \u201cNurcor\u2019s Three Circles.\u201d[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

The fear buster for me is literally most effectively God\u2019s presence and confirmatory voice through scripture; \u201cFor God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.\u201d[7]<\/a> With those great words, that cut as sharp as a double edged metal melting jet flame, the chains of fear a broken.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Jim Collins. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Lead\u2026and Others Don\u2019t<\/em> (New York: Harper Business, 2001),1.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid., 3.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid., 3.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ibid., 1.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Jim Collins. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Lead\u2026and Others Don\u2019t<\/em> (New York: Harper Business, 2001), 136.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Jim Collins. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Lead\u2026and Others Don\u2019t<\/em> (New York: Harper Business, 2001), 137.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> 1 Timothy 1:7<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jim Collins\u2019s book Good to Great was a fun and educational read. Collins starts out with an admonition about the fact that \u201cgood is the enemy of great.\u201d[1] This can be an energizing and convicting proposition for people who have already arrived at a good bottom-line in business and are in position to became a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[267],"class_list":["post-2518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-collins","cohort-lgp4"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2518"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2520,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2518\/revisions\/2520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}