LTYM - The Best is the Enemy of the Good

Letters to a Young Manager

The Best is the Enemy of the Good, #82
LTYM > Process and Operations Management

Dear Adam,

***

Having high standards is good. But it can also keep you from doing good work. What do I mean? Let me tell you about the project that wasn't good enough. My brother and I had a management consulting business. He asked me to lead a project advising a CIO he knew at a Fortune 100 company. At the time, I had not been a CIO and was uncomfortable at the prospect. So I declined.

"Why," he asked?
"Because I don't think I know enough."
"You know enough. I'll help you with the rest," he said.
"But I don't like doing c-level work," I replied.

He then said one of the most liberating things to me: "Don't you realize that c-level work for you is a-level for the rest of us?"

The point here is not whether I was better than most. It was that my high standards were getting in the way of doing good work. Voltaire once said that the best is the enemy of the good. Do good work. Be surprised at how good, good enough is.

***

Best,
Ed

________________________

Takeaways:

Good enough is often plenty

Discussion Questions:

1) What's your best work? Do you deliver this all the time? Do you need to?
2) What's your c-level work? Is it average for you or others?
3) How does this apply for most projects in your company?

For Further Reading: