If it’s perfect, it’s too late. Or not?
Most of us are not saving the world…
Sometimes it sounds like we are saving the world when making decisions at work. So I always remember 2 things. First of all we are not saving lives most of the time (some do). Secondly and that’s the focus here, if it’s perfect, then it’s too late, according to a former manager of mine.
I am not disputing that there are moments and instances when you want to get as perfect as possible, like the day I had a 5 hours of hand surgery...or if you go to 3 Stars Michelin restaurant, whoever is involved seeks perfection. But even then, perfection is the result of correcting minor errors.
Put risk-taking into perspective
In the corporate world, there are often endless meetings and discussions about decisions to be made, a project to be kicked-off, an investment to consider or a product to be launched.
Often, people experience what I call “paralysis by analysis.” Assessing, reviewing, evaluating, again and again….until it’s too late. Either because the momentum is gone, competition was faster or interest is lost.
The real question is what’s the worth than can happen? A simple question that tells us quite a lot about how we think about decision-making, failure and imperfection.
Dealing with imperfection
How we deal with the “less than perfect” or “the good enough” gives us interesting clues about a company’s culture. However, we also need to ask ourselves, as individuals, what role our life experience and education plays? For instance, how have we grown up with the notion of risk and failure, how did our school system shape some of our beliefs, etc.
An antidote to the perfection monster?
Obviously there isn’t one antidote only. That would be too simple....but the following might be helpful to put things in perspective and balance out.
Perfect for... - Does it have to be perfect from my perspective or the end-user/client?
Mind the Gap - What’s the gap to perfection? When is enough?
Impact - How will people be impacted by my less-than-perfect solution?
Time Machine - Can the decision be undone or reverted?
Speed - How will speed be helpful in this context?
History - do we know of similar situations, and what was the learning at the time?
The next time you have to make a decision that is important to you, preferably when you have tension between quality and speed, think of the above. Ultimately you might decide you need more time and that’s fine if it adds value.
