Good Enough Syndrome
Richard Rossi
Co-Founder, Envision EMI. Founder, The daVinci Alliance. Founder, The daVinci50 Mastermind
There’s something that really bugs me. Something I have seen a lot of lately
that we should all make sure is NOT part of our lives.
It’s what I call “Good Enough Syndrome.” It’s this concept of, “Hey, you
know, we’re going to do this or the other thing. It isn’t great, it isn’t going to
change the world, it isn’t my best work, but you know what? It’s good
enough.”
The truth of the matter is that there are some times when “good enough” is
actually good enough. Some times. Like when you’re cooking dinner, and
everything isn’t just perfect.
But when it comes to your life, and I’m talking about your real life, you have
to be very careful of that. Because “good enough” is also safe, and it feels
nice because you’re not pushing yourself, you’re not getting out of your
comfort zone. But it also means that you’re not doing your best work, the
things that you really can be proud of, and the things that you’ll look back
upon.
Think about Larry Page when he created this indexing system that he called
“Google.” Has he just been sat around with his co-inventor said, “Wow, this is
good enough, let’s just move on to something else?” No. Google has become
better, and better, and better.
Then you have Jeff Bezos. He built Amazon into what it is now, which is just
this incredible, incredible company. But it wasn’t “good enough.” He went off,
and he’s now created a space company!
If you feel like you’re going to use the words “good enough,” it’s probably
not where you should be leaving things or what you should be doing at all.
My charge to you is to always be watching yourself and make sure that you
don’t accept “good enough” in your life. Great leaders, great performers,
great inventors, and people who are remembered always take it to the next
level and push to do their absolute best work.
Give a little thought to what in your life right now you might be accepting
that you really shouldn’t be, and then sit down and make a pledge to
yourself that that’s not going to be part of what defines you, that’s not going
to be a part of your life. OK?
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Thank you for reading
RR
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President, Engagious, Inc. | Message testing expert | Swing Voter Project creator & moderator | Axios collaborator
5 年Just re-posted on my page with kudos to you, Richard.
Membership @ Verity: Women-Only Private Club. Where Toronto's Elite Women Experience Luxury, Meaningful Connections, and Elevated Impact.
5 年I like “done is better than perfect” as a part of the process as opposed to the final result. Analysis Paralysis is a real thing so I personally allow for the 80% rule as a method to get shit started, then we work until it’s perfect. My version of perfect ??
Vice President of Client Services, Darden Brands
5 年Whenever I hear someone say "Good is good enough" first I think what lazy bs...then remind myself that on the other end of the scale perfection is the primary excuse of procrastinators...then resolve, again, that at least for me, good is not enough.
Empowering Careers & Learning | Career Coach | Adjunct Professor in Informatics/Information Technology | Training Designer | Champion of Confidence, Humor, & Growth
5 年Good Enough should be the default if the other option is perfection. Sometimes the feedback gained from good enough is what makes the next version better. If Good Enough is all you have though it’s not going to get you very far.
(Retired) Executive Advisor: Honing GTM Strategy, Sharpening Execution
5 年May I suggest some layers to this fine point? Laziness hardens into habit, so definitely avoid that sort of “good enough.” But use value creation as a lens. Does refining your work product further build more value for you, employer (by proxy, customers)? If yes, good enough—isn’t. But (nod to Geoffrey Moore) core v context remains a brilliantly simple, easily-applicable concept. Core = driver of differentiation (root of value-add); context = everything else. His point (#DealingwithDarwin) was that Core rewards innovation/risk because of upside potential. Context doesn’t. Use this lens for extra effort, too. When excellence beyond a threshold isn’t incrementally rewarded (context), good enough—is. Marshal your energy; expend it on value creators. Ok, for an individual employee, things can be murky. So paraphrasing Richard Rossi, consistently err on the side of doing a bit more than less. Commit to outwork your competition; just don’t let activity—busyness—masquerade as value. CTA for Employers: Define value drivers for each of your associates.