Wednesday
Sep052007
Best is the enemy of Good
Wednesday, September 5, 2007 at 10:25AM
Last week, my perspective was shifted by an improvisational leadership educator. I told him "Robert, you always make the best of situations", and he said: "No, Dave, I always make good of situations". There's an important distinction there.
See, there is only one best solution to any challenge, but there are usually alot of good solutions. When I am focusing only on "the best", I can get gripped by fear of failure and end up not taking any action at all.
In the business sense, there are companies who's top goal for the next year is "to be the best in xyz-sector". How can they expect to make market-disrupting innovation breakthroughs in this way? Doesn't focussing on being the best keep us from being characterful?
When I asked an entrepreneur billionaire a few years ago what his number 1 tip for business success is, he told me: "Don't try be big. If you're focussed on being big, you'll mess up. Just try be good and the growth will be natural".
See, there is only one best solution to any challenge, but there are usually alot of good solutions. When I am focusing only on "the best", I can get gripped by fear of failure and end up not taking any action at all.
In the business sense, there are companies who's top goal for the next year is "to be the best in xyz-sector". How can they expect to make market-disrupting innovation breakthroughs in this way? Doesn't focussing on being the best keep us from being characterful?
When I asked an entrepreneur billionaire a few years ago what his number 1 tip for business success is, he told me: "Don't try be big. If you're focussed on being big, you'll mess up. Just try be good and the growth will be natural".
Reader Comments (11)
Wonderful insight! Think one can make 'good' synonymous with 'deep' - go deeper and you will find multiple opportunities for innovative disruptions. Go 'wide' and you will be so focused on illusory excellence that you may well achieve very little in the long term. As the engineering saying goes, "Better is the enemy of good enough". Elaine
Thank you Elaine!
If "Small is the New Big" (according to Seth Godin and others), then perhaps "Deep is the new Wide"!
Great stuff. There is soo much that can be said about being best over being good, you could probably write a book about it.
we go deep & we dont get no sleep. cos we been up all night. read good feeds till the early light.
im liking the evolution dave & the omission of the millionaires name.
Thanks iQ:) i like.
I think it means 'try the best to be the good',
because it's very difficult to try the best to be the best.
Great post, I concur completely and appreciate the time you took to write it. Cheers!
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