“Anything worth doing is worth doing well”
“Always give 110%”
I’ve heard these things (and even said some of them) for much of my adult life. In college business classes (last century), books like Tom Peters’ “In Search of Excellence” were used to show that you should be excellent in everything you do. That is an admirable goal, but is it realistic?
What Does Excellence Mean?
Excellent is higher than average quality. Not everything can be excellent. If it was, excellent would be average. You should deliver good quality work, you should not be satisfied with below average quality, but sometimes the search of passion and excellence in everything can be detrimental to overall success.
The Price of Perfection
Striving for excellence in all we do can sometimes prove detrimental to our overall success. I’ve noticed that many successful people consciously allow some tasks to be done in a less than ‘excellent’ manner. Why? Because they know what matters most. They understand that settling for ‘good enough’ in less significant tasks allows them to allocate more time and energy to what’s truly important.
Practical Examples of ‘Good Enough’
Let’s consider you’re cooking a multi-course dinner. Using a can of premade spaghetti sauce may not be ‘excellent’, but it saves you time to focus on the rest of the meal and setting the table. The result? An overall more enjoyable and excellent dining experience, achieved by choosing ‘good enough’ sauce.
Similarly, in creative endeavors like writing, content creation, or playing an instrument, striving for perfection at the outset can inhibit progress. Rather than waiting for the perfect tools or conditions, it’s often more beneficial to get started with what’s available and improve over time.
James Clear, in his book “Atomic Habits,” shares a story about how a photography teacher divided his class into two groups – one was graded solely on the quantity of photos taken, and the other on the quality of a single photo. Surprisingly, the group focusing on quantity produced the best photos because their constant practice led to skill improvement.
Applying ‘Good Enough’ to Work
This concept extends to our professional lives as well. We should certainly seek excellence in tasks that hold the utmost importance – being responsive to customers and colleagues, following through on commitments, and delivering value. However, to achieve these effectively, certain tasks may need to be ‘good enough.’
Take email, for example. You could spend considerable time ensuring every message is grammatically perfect or accept ‘good enough’ emails and invest that saved time in more crucial areas. A customer concern addressed with a ‘good enough’ yet timely response could be more beneficial than a meticulously crafted, but delayed response.
Conclusion
In essence, the concept of ‘good enough’ doesn’t mean compromising on quality or delivering subpar results. It’s a strategic approach to work and life, discerning between what requires your full attention and excellence, and what can be effectively achieved with ‘good enough’ quality given the context. To drive the point home, let’s revisit the food example. A Big Mac may not meet the gourmet expectations of a five-star restaurant, but it’s good enough for a fast-food setting. The real victory lies in prioritizing excellence where it counts most while allowing ‘good enough’ to suffice elsewhere. In doing so, we don’t “give 110%” in everything we do – we achieve it where it truly matters.
Eponymous 