Learning From Sports: Good is the Enemy of Great

Donnie Walsh, General Manager of the New York Knicks (of the National Basketball Association, for those of you who don't follow sports) apparently agrees with Jim Collins.
Collins wrote the bestselling business book "Good to Great" and opens it by saying that "good is the enemy of great".

It's easy to see what he means. A good team or company doesn't want to take the risks necessary to become great.

Sports is a great laboratory for studying management and leadership, because the results are so easily measured and the stakes are so high. Unlike a typical business, in sports the only real success is a championship. Coaches have been dismissed for 'just' getting their teams to the playoffs year after year. Ask Joe Torre, Grady Little, Marty Schottenheimer, or Mike D'Antoni.

A case in point is the New York Knicks. Donnie Walsh is the new GM. Mike D'Antoni is the new coach. Everyone knew that this 08-09 team would be terrible, and would needd to be rebuilt from the foundation.
But a funny thing happened on the way to disaster. Coach Mike got the team playing well. They were 6-3 after 9 games. Fans were excited about the style of play and the playoffs looked within reach... until last Friday.

On Friday, Walsh traded the teams two best players, basically killing the season.
Why?
Because good is the enemy of great. This team was never going to be great. It's too flawed.
If Walsh let the team become good, then it's harder to break it up. The fans would scream.
By breaking it up early, Walsh can maintain the focus on long-term health (in this case, being ready to bid on LeBron James when he becomes a free agent), rather than short-term wins.
Pretty smart, huh?
But also pretty ballsy. Walsh is aiming for great (a shot at a championship), not good (playoff contention)

What about in your workplace?
I'm often surprised by managers who won't release 'so-so' performers to make room for new talent.
"Things aren't so bad," they reason, "We're hitting our targets".
Yeah, and you're setting a ceiling that you'll never break through.

Think about it: where is 'good enough' stopping you from being great?