High Performance Leadership

Delight in imperfection and you'll be constantly delighted. -- doug smith

My former acting coach, Brian McCulley once said that "done is better than perfect." I don't think he meant to minimize quality, because that is also important. But sometimes urgency is more important than perfection, considering that we'll never achieve perfect. There are no perfect people. There are no perfect products. There are no perfect processes. We may travel John Wesley's road to perfection without ever getting there. That is completely fine. I've learned to seek wisdom rather than perfection since discovering the endless amount of personal flaws has destroyed any illusion of perfect. Still, I travel that road, whether it's driving or as a passenger. It's a good road, even when it never ends. I've also learned not to let it grieve me.  We are all here to improve. Let's keep improving. When we look into the mirror, let's not expect perfection. Let's not let disappointment cloud our days. Expecting perfection is not a...

Achieving a goal does not promise you perfection. There is always another goal. Find it. Set it. Get it going. -- doug smith

Do you have a tendency toward perfection? I'm all about quality. As a basically analytical personality I strive constantly for perfection. The trouble I run into is that it isn't usually necessary to achieve perfection. Insisting on re-doing and revising repeatedly in pursuit of perfection can keep me from finishing something important. I've learned to be careful about perfection. My acting coach, Brian McCulley has a favorite expression "Done is better than perfect". Maybe not always - but usually. I've learned to move forward. To keep doing. And to finish. Things can usually be revised later, but it pays to get them done. In many of my workshops I ask my participants to invent a game. The game has only two criteria for success: it much help us learn something about the workshop content, and it must be fun. It does not need to perfect. There isn't really any way the games they invent could be perfect. But they are fun, and they produce learn...