Thank Goodness It's Monday #449

STRIVE FOR PERFECTION

... BUT ACCEPT LESS

Coming away from the 2014 Winter Olympics I’ll note that, while all the gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded, no athlete achieved a “perfect” score or performance.

As usual. Truth is, even in that world of dedicated, skilled and well-drilled elite performers, the perfect performance is in the neighborhood of as statistically unlikely as your Power Ball Lottery odds.

 

In other words: L-O-N-G. Very, very L-O-N-G.

 

Now let’s be clear. This observation doesn’t at all mean I think we should not strive for perfection.

 

We should. “Striving” is important and necessary for success, no doubt. But in doing so we must be prepared to be less than perfect (and allow the same for others).

 

And since the Sochi winter games are now in the record books and many of us are weary of the burdens of winter weather, let’s turn elsewhere for our baseline (literally) point of reference for today’s TGIM message. 

The Great American Game. Another baseball spring training season is newly underway, complete with highly compensated elite players hell bent on achieving record-breaking performances.



Aside from pitching “perfect” games: One of the most amazing and yet little-appreciated records in big league baseball is the one for a player handling the most "chances" in a row without making an error.

 

John Phalen "Stuffy" McInnis (1890-1960)

was a first baseman and manager

in Major League Baseball.

McInnis gained his nickname as a youngster

in the Boston suburban leagues,

where his spectacular playing
brought shouts of "That's the stuff, kid".

For years the record was held by Stuffy McInnis -- an especially solid -- you might even say "cracker jack" -- defensive player. 

And talk about perfect: In 1921 and 1922, McInnis handled 1700 consecutive chances --1700 throws, pop-ups and grounders -- without making an error.

But do you even know his name? In the game as a player and coach for decades, until only recently* our guy Stuffy held major league fielding records for first basemen over one season.

*In April 27, 2008, Kevin Youkilis established a new major league record for first basemen when he fielded his 1,701st consecutive chance without an error, passing the old mark set by McInnis. Youlilis’ streak was snapped at 238 games --2,002 fielding attempts -- on June 7, 2008.

Interesting trivia, but what's the point? 

Well, one point is: Who (besides me) talks about Stuffy McInnis these days? 

While laudable, perfection isn’t necessarily the stuff that legends are made of -- not in baseball, and perhaps not often in the "real" world.

Outside the rarified space elite athletes occupy, most of us don’t have the need or time or wherewithal to laser focus our efforts so intently.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Beware perfectionism. You’re falling into perfectionism when you keep working on a task long after the point where extra effort adds meaningful value. 

Your live-your-life thinking must be to know that there is a point for most things in the workaday world where the effort you put in is more than good enough to fulfill your obligation.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Stop there. 

And no “gold plating.” You’re probably familiar with that concept. It differs somewhat from the chore-like persistent drive of perfectionism in that it probably pleases you to be going that extra mile … putting in more and more time making whatever it is bright and shiny – more bright and shiny than anyone else cares about. Stop now.

But … But … What if I goof? Slip up? Make an error? 

You can still get the Gold. Or Silver. Or Bronze. Or recognition for having been at the big show. 

Successful people know that, while mistakes may be painful --

 

They are also instructive. (That's one reason such people are successful.) They possess the spark and courage to take action where others hesitate. And when they do commit an error, they don't chalk it up as a complete loss. They try to learn something from it that will sharpen their judgment the next time around.

TGIM TAKEAWAY: If -- actually, WHEN -- you or others make a mistake, don't compound the error. Assess the situation calmly and decide what corrective action is needed. To minimize the damage, if nothing else can be done, a wise course is simply to inform everyone affected. Avoid covering up. Curb the tendency to look for a scapegoat.

Once things are under control, don't continue to place emphasis on the mistake.    Concentrate instead on what you will do in the future to see that it doesn't happen again -- to you or anyone else.

It's great to strive for an Olympic “Perfect 10” or Stuffy McInnis-level failure-proof performance. 

But not at the expense of progress. Have the courage to try new ideas and don't discourage others by being overly critical of reasonable efforts that don’t work.

Swing for the fences and don't worry about batting 1.000.

Now this seems like a perfectly good place to end today’s TGIM.

 



In a 1992 interview Leonard Cohen said
about his “imperfect offering” of Anthem:
 
"There's not a line in it that I couldn't defend...
I delayed its birth for so long because
it wasn't right or appropriate or true or it was too easy
or the ideas were too fast or too fuss,
but the way it is now it deserves to be born."

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. Ring the bell that still can ring,

        Forget your perfect offering.

       There is a crack in everything.

       That’s how the light gets in.

 

Singer/songwriter/poet Leonard Cohen makes that observation in the lyrics of his song “Anthem” which, curiously, he says took him something like ten years of writing and refining to get to a point he was willing to record it.