Why Average Is Not an Option for Uncommon Leaders: The Daily Decision to Grow

March 27, 2026

“Growth is the only guarantee that tomorrow will get better.” — John Maxwell

Who wants to be average? Go ahead, raise your hand.

No hands? Good.

I didn’t think so. Yet, if we aren’t careful, “average” is exactly where we end up by default. I recently revisited a classic, Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 by John C. Maxwell, while leading a group coaching intensive. We saved the best for last: Chapter 10 on Personal Growth —landed like a mic drop. So many nuggets, I had to share them with you.

The big theme? “Growth is the only guarantee that tomorrow will get better.”

Brew Nation, I often preach that the first step to improvement in any area of life is a Decision. We usually change out of one of two things: Inspiration or Desperation. My hope for you today is that you choose the former.

Maxwell notes that growth isn’t a “nice-to-have”—it’s a result of dropping bad habits, shifting wrong priorities, and embracing new ways of thinking. People get stuck because they are unwilling to trade what they know for something better.

That sounds a whole lot like the definition of common… or average.

In that same chapter, Maxwell shares a piece from David Lewis that is a “warning label” for the soul. Read these slowly. They might offend you. At the very least, they should force some serious self-reflection.

The Anatomy of “Average”

What failures claim to be when their friends ask why they’re not more successful.
The top of the bottom, the best of the worst, the bottom of the top, the worst of the top. Which one are you?
Run of the mill, mediocre, insignificant, an also-ran, a non-entity.
The lazy person’s cop-out; it’s lacking the guts to take a stand in life; it’s living by default.
To take up space for no purpose; to ride the train through life but never pay the fare; to return no interest on God’s investment in you.
To pass one’s life away with time, rather than to pass one’s time away with life. It’s to kill time, rather than working it to death.
To be forgotten once you pass from this life. The successful are remembered for their contributions, the failures for at least trying, but the average? They’re just… forgotten.
To commit the greatest crime one can against oneself, humanity, and one’s God. The saddest epitaph reads: “Here lies Mr. and Mrs. Average—here lie the remains of what might have been, except for their belief that they were average.”

So I’ll ask you again: Who wants to be average?

The word “average” shouldn’t even be in an Uncommon Leader’s vocabulary, except when we are talking about “Let’s raise the average.”

The uncommon leader makes a clear decision one day: I am going to grow continuously. Not for show. Not for a season. But because they want to inspire, encourage, and equip themselves and others to become the leaders they were created to be.

Then they manage that decision daily.

Growth isn’t comfortable. It never is. But remember the two pains in life: “There are two types of pain: the pain of self-discipline and the pain of regret.” Choose your pain wisely.

One of these pains weighs ounces; the other weighs tons.

Quote of the week:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” — Colossians 3:23

Brew Nation, if you’ve been walking with me through the Scary Book chapters, the Olympic Formula, driving the wedge, and choosing uncommon— this is the fuel. Personal growth isn’t optional for the leader who wants to leave a legacy. It’s the daily decision that turns “what might have been” into “what is.”

What you need to do:

Your move today:

In what area of your life have you started to settle for “The Top of the Bottom”?
What is one “wrong priority” you are willing to trade today for a “better way of thinking”?
How are you managing your decision to grow today?
Where do you need to drop a bad habit or wrong priority?
What new way of thinking is God inviting you to embrace?
Who are you raising the average for—your team, your family, yourself?

Hit reply and email me at coachjohngallagher@gmail.com. I read everyone.

If you’re ready to stop settling and start growing on purpose, REQUEST A FREE CALL. Let’s afflict the comforted places and watch tomorrow get better—together.

It’s an honor to be your trusted Friday Coffee Guy. Each week, I bring what I’m learning and living in the trenches of leadership. If this edition challenged or encouraged you, SHARE it with someone who leads, stays faithful, or learns alongside you, then click SUBSCRIBE. Choose uncommon. Abide in the Vine. It all belongs to HIM. Let’s grow Brew Nation together!