Go The Extra Inch

According to various dictionaries, the word mediocre can be defined in any of the following ways: “of only ordinary or moderate quality; neither good nor bad; barely adequate; rather poor or inferior; lacking exceptional quality or ability.” Mediocrity, as you might imagine, is simply defined as “the state or quality of being mediocre.”

With such a negative connotation you’d think mediocrity would be avoided like the plague. Amazingly though, mediocrity's not only rampant throughout our culture, in many industries and fields of commerce it has become generally accepted as the norm. 

People have been on the receiving end of dumbed-down, sub-standard products and services for so long now that many of them don’t know it can be any better. And to make matters worse, as long as consumers continue to willingly accept mediocrity in the marketplace, the providers of these products and services have little-to-no incentive to raise the bar.

But as the saying goes, every dark cloud has a silver lining. And the dark cloud of mediocrity is no exception.

Think about it. In a pervasive climate of “barely adequate,” opportunities to gain competitive advantage are all over the place. Regardless of the circumstances (personal or professional), aware contestants in the game of life will be regularly presented with openings to single themselves out…to move ahead of the competition and grab additional market share. 

The good news is accomplishing this isn’t always a colossal chore. In fact, very often the smallest adjustment in strategy or the smallest application of additional effort can produce a massively different outcome, a process I've labeled “going the extra inch.”

We’ve all heard the old saying, “go the extra mile”…a rallying cry that’s usually hauled out when someone needs additional motivation to accomplish a specific task. It’s a wonderful sentiment that over the years has undoubtedly moved many people to new levels of accomplishment. 

However, just like in the "real world," in the mind’s eye a mile is a significant distance to cover, especially when compared to an inch! Psychologically, a mile can very often seem to be a goal without end. 

Even though we’re typically speaking in metaphors when we use the words mile and inch in this context, one still represents a large task to accomplish while the other represents a small task. And the simple fact is any large task will be accomplished more effectively if it’s tackled in smaller bite-sized chunks. 

Most people can more easily embrace and act on one or more small manageable tasks than they can one large (and possibly overwhelming) project. And therein lies the beauty of the “go the extra inch” philosophy. The implementation of select incremental improvements in specific personal and professional areas of life will gradually raise a person or business above the sea of mediocrity. 

In truth, it doesn’t take a whole lot of additional effort to stand out from the masses!

Regardless of the product or service you provide, there's presumably a start-to-finish process associated with getting it in the hands of your customers, and that process can usually be broken down into multiple sequential steps. The tiniest improvement in any one of those steps could be a game changer. A similar small improvement in ALL of them would in all probability rocket you far ahead of your mediocrity-embracing competitors. 

The same approach can be applied to any marketing, incubation and follow-up sequences you typically employ both before and after the sale is made. Break them down into their component parts and "tweak" them incrementally rather than wholesale. You'll be in a much better position to accurately measure improvements and you won't be buried alive by the process of a full-blown throw out the bathwater reengineering effort.   

Why settle for the humdrum and unexceptional when category-conquering performance can often be realized by the selective application of fractional improvements in the way you do business? Go the extra inch where and whenever possible and you'll ultimately shine like a supernova while your rivals sputter and flicker like a wet match struggling to stay lit.