As a culture we are obsessed with the "ests" of life -- the best, the worst, the greatest, the prettiest, the most, the least.

We love our rankings, our ratings, our contests and lists. Oh, how we love our lists. From worst dressed, to best college, to safest cars, to best value, we want to know where we, our choices and our products sit.

There is a desire to look left and right and say, "OK, you're there, I'm here ... now I know." It matters to us. It's the certainty, no matter how contrived, subjective or forced, that calms us and provides a sense of order. The clamor for a playoff in Division I college football is largely because we can't take not knowing who the real champion is. We feel entitled to know.

Immediately following a major television event, analysts go all out to place what we just saw in historical context. They leap at the camera and off the page telling us where this event ranked, how it rated. They debate and argue, attempting to place a ribbon on the event notifying all that what we just saw was the 16th best of all time. The next day we will find out how many people viewed the telecast. Was it a record breaker? How did it stack up? Was it the worst?

We have recalibrated how we evaluate. It's about superlatives now; good is considered less than average, and often what is referred to as the best ever is simply what just happened. If green is the new black, good is the new bad. We have lost touch with what good is.

We use phrases like "good is the enemy of great" and "good isn't good enough when better will do" to inspire ourselves to reach the ests -- as if that is the destination and as if we can actually control it.

But we should take a look at the definition of good. Good: morally excellent, virtuous, righteous, right, proper, kind, genuine, agreeable, pleasant, sound, valid.

As one who works at a company that has the privilege to provide marketing and communications counsel to others, I often find myself encouraging clients to simply be good. The ests are for other people to decide and declare. A company, like an individual, can make the decision to be good. That's what is in its control, and that should be the goal. Good isn't an easy journey to take, but it does lead to increased loyalty with customers and a deeper connection with people.

While the principles for being good aren't complex, they aren't always followed either.

Toyota is the latest example of a company that was all of the positive ests, but where it failed was being good. The issue isn't mistakes; but those who practice being good own those mistakes and take care of them in an authentic and real way. The guess here is Toyota will eventually reclaim its status, but it will need to be good in order for that to happen.

For most, good simply isn't enough. Some may feel that good is settling. Or that it is average.

But the irony is this: When there is an absence of good, it matters, and we want better. It's true with relationships, it's true with golfers and it's true with companies. Those who are bold enough to commit to good will begin on a path to something enduring and meaningful.

Just how meaningful? Well, that's for others to decide.

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