Every month I sit down to write this blog, and every month I struggle a bit with what I will write about. I really don’t know how those who write for a living do it. And this blogging exercise has given me an increasing admiration for the skills and capabilities required to communicate through the written word.

So, in thinking about this, I realized that it is better to keep trying. And hopefully I will improve as I learn from the experience of writing.

That’s why I titled this month’s blog – “Better is Good”. Some of you may have heard me say this before, and for sure I did not invent the phrase. I am not sure where I first heard these words, but they have stuck with me ever since. I like the idea of “Better is Good” because it says that even though we can see the goal, and we understand the effort it will take to get there, if we keep doing the little things, eventually all those little things will add up to reaching our goal. We will be getting better and better is good.

There is also a broader concept around “Better is Good” that I like a lot. It embodies the concept of leadership and what it takes to make an organization or community better. If we think about this in the context of our workplace, homes, friends, families, co-workers, customers and other partners in business, we can see all kinds of opportunities, big and small, to make things better.

Every one of us shows leadership in different ways at different times. Whether it’s taking the time to empty the wastebaskets or clean the washroom. Or consistently showing up at the same time every morning to open the shop. Or the managers who work alongside each of their employees to create an environment where people feel safe to give suggestions and feedback to make the workplace better are leading by the “Better is Good” example.

As long as we humbly realize that no individual task is beneath any of us, that no job is too small or seemingly insignificant, we will all be working together toward making a happy family, a strong community or a great company. And it means we will always be getting better.

And “Better is Good”.

Doug Dougherty
CEO