“I don’t look perfect in this outfit so I’m going to duck out of the job interview.”
When did anyone ever look perfect in any outfit, at least in their own eyes?
“I’m scared my presentation will suck because it’s not perfect.”
It may not be perfect, but did you practice to ensure is it good enough to carry your message across?
“I can’t submit this guest blog post, even though I know it’s a great opportunity, because it’s not perfect.”
I hate to break it to you, but the perfect blogger hasn’t been born. Yet.
“I’m not going to bid on that RFP because I don’t have a perfect team in place.”
Why not worry about the perfect team after you win the business… which you won’t if you don’t bid on it?
“I can’t launch my newsletter until my content is perfect.”
It’s not “perfect” content you’re worried about. It’s content. Period.
Perfect is as perfect does
We’ve been taught that a state of perfection is highly desirable. That if something is not perfect, it’s not worth doing. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with aspiring towards perfection. Perfection is, after all, a goddess.
But when it stops us, you, me, from trying, submitting, applying, it’s a demon.
Because 99% of the time, work that is “good enough” will do.
Mind you, that’s when we’ve tried really hard to put the right things in place, and have expended as much effort as we can – given our current circumstances – to make sure we’ve done a good job. If we’re going to half-a$$ it, that’s a different story.
But if we’ve tried our best, who cares if it’s perfect?
It just has to be good enough.
I took this photo of a “Phillips Santa” while I was in Kolkata over the holidays. Does he look like the perfect Santa to you? No. But he was good enough for the job.
[…] This is uncannily similar to the way your organizational communications should work. They don’t always have to be humming, but they do need to be constantly running. […]
[…] This is uncannily similar to the way your organizational communications should work. They don’t always have to be humming, but they do need to be constantly running. […]
RobBiesenbach That is SO true, Rob… and I think it’s a trap we’ve all fallen into at one point or another – what really surprises me is when big agencies have that answer as well. And the “what if neither worked out” is something most people don’t want to think about but, let’s face it, that’s the reality – most of what we pitch for isn’t going to work out. So why not pitch – for the right kind of business, of course, not just willy-nilly – as much as we can, with a view to growth as opposed to just “getting by”?
KDillabough Beautifully put, Kaarina. If the utmost effort is there… who cares about “perfect”?
SandraFernandez I love that!
lauraclick Exactly!
Amen! As a perfectionist, I definitely battle with this. But, if you concentrate on ideal, you’ll never deliver. We have to be like Nike – JUST DO IT! :)
Amen! As a perfectionist, I definitely struggle with this. But, if you focus on perfect, you’ll never ship. We have to be like Nike – JUST DO IT! :)
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We have a message on the office whiteboard: “Don’t let perfect get in the way of product.” A.K.A., sometimes good enough is good enough.
Very true.
I don’t believe in “perfect”: I believe in being the best one can be, exerting all best efforts to be of service, achieve results, learn from mistakes and always take action in the direction of one’s dreams and goals. If hard smart work, sincere application of effort and results-oriented action is taken, I say to my athletes and clients: the results will speak for themselves. Cheers! Kaarina
Great post, Shonali. This one, “I’m not going to bid on that RFP because I don’t have a perfect team in place,” brings up another important issue. People often get paralyzed by spinning out these “what ifs” into elaborate scenarios. “I can’t start on this project because it would lead to a lot of work and right now I’m setting aside time for this other thing that I hope will turn into something big.”
That’s a lot of “ifs,” and ignores the biggest one: “What if neither of these opportunities comes through and you’re left with nothing?” I’ve found it’s better to go for it all””chances are, you won’t get them both, but if you do, that’s a good problem to have and one you can sort out later. Anyway, as with the pursuit of the perfect, people talk themselves out of potential opportunities because they’re striving for some ideal workload balance. (In the end, I think it’s just fear.)