Nine Ways Excellence Out Performs Perfection
Exceeding the Speed of Light
Oh sure, so what's the speed of dark? read the button pinned to the navy blue blazer on the young but sophisticated junior executive behind the Customer Service counter in a San Francisco bank last week.
I chuckled. Then I began to think about it.
Why was she wearing it? Is it the pure cynicism of youth regarding the world we are presenting to them, saying : you expect me to believe all this science stuff when look at the mess it has got us in? Or: sure, science has produced many awesomely important products, but maybe what it has not discovered is far more essential to our survival?
Or even: Fine, we know the speed of light, but things are changing so fast we must get moving on all the stuff we don't know. Answers must be found, quickly. And brilliantly.
My six weeks in western Canada and south western USA showed me that many bright, educated, conscientious young people are quietly and thoroughly pissed off. At us. Justly or not, they point at our business world and accuse us of doing too little of what is required to rapidly shift that world into a state of health. What I have called in my coming book "healthy chaos".
While many other aspects of The American Way of Life are crumbling (like a neighbourhood sense of community), America still is the home of the positive attitude of "living to work," unlike much of Australia with its begrudging attitude of "working to live."
Generally, most North Americans love their job, take pride in doing it as well as they can, and expect other workers to feel the same way. They pursue excellence as a matter of course.
What I noticed happening to this attitude in businesses and industries suffering from increasing chaos is that excellence is being confused with perfection. Rather than striving for excellence, many enthusiastic committed professionals are striving for perfection. Which must lead to failure. Especially in a world of constant change.
Perfection is not a goal, it is a fantasy. Perfection can never be reached. Perfection is not part of our human world.
Excellence, however, is both attainable and desirable. A very healthy goal for each of us to pursue. Perhaps the most important goal for us here in the Australian business world to pursue with full diligence, commitment, and enthusiasm.
What are the key differences between excellence and perfection? How can we avoid the trap of confusing the two ?
While in southern California, I had the pleasure of spending time with one of America's most exciting trainers, Brigid McGrath Massie, whose first book has the wonderful title of "What Do They Say When You Leave the Room?"
Having worked with organisations across America, Brigid is full of valuable first-hand experiences of corporations and individual professionals setting appropriate goals and practices of excellence, not perfection.
Here are nine key points that clarify the difference between excellence and perfection. I have titled them:
Nine Ways Excellence Out Performs Perfection
- Excellence is willing to be wrong.
Perfection is being right.
- Excellence is risk.
Perfection is fear.
- Excellence is powerful.
Perfection is anger and frustration.
- Excellence is spontaneous.
Perfection is control.
- Excellence is accepting.
Perfection is judgment.
- Excellence is giving.
Perfection is taking.
- Excellence is confidence.
Perfection is doubt
- Excellence is flowing.
Perfection is pressure.
- Excellence is journey.
Perfection is destination.
So how fast is the speed of dark?
Who cares?
My journey is about excellence, not perfection, so it is well within the speed of light. And sound. And those are known, so I can just get on with doing what I do to the darn best of my ability.
Until some clever young thing proves that the speed of dark is faster.
Buinsess Directions 23 Jan 1995
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