Competence, an ugly word. Like "satisfactory", it has a smug air about it that masks a lack of ambition or potential. It's a Jobsworth word. Good and safe. This Seth Godin article reinforces the simple idea that competence - be it at the individual or a company level - is the enemy of average-defying greatness:

"Competent people are quite proud of the status and success that they get out of being competent. They like being competent. They guard their competence, and they work hard to maintain it. Bob Dylan, on the other hand, is an incompetent musician. From year to year, from concert to concert, there's just no way to be sure that he'll deliver exactly what you're expecting. Sometimes, he blows the world away with his insight, his energy, and his performance. Other times, he's just so-so."