Perfection is the Enemy of Excellence

I was recently working with a client on a market research project. They had the task of planning, organizing and executing a variety of customer satisfaction surveys of 5 audiences for 3 internal clients and several external clients.

All the details of the project: trying to figure out how to survey (on-line, email, in person, fax or snail mail), who to survey, when to survey (quarterly, monthly, with the invoice, with the statement), which questions to ask of whom, how to compile the results, where the reports would be sent and so on had overwhelmed the task force that was responsible for the project.

A statement that one of the people in the meeting made as we were leaving made me think of of this “poem” from FLYlady. I had not thought about perfection in this way before:

Perfection is the Enemy of Excellence

Excellence is willing to be wrong.
Perfection is being right.

Excellence is risk.
Perfection is fear.

Excellence is powerful.
Perfection is anger and frustration.

Excellence is spontaneous.
Perfection is control.

Excellence is accepting.
Perfection is judgment.

Excellence is giving.
Perfection is taking.

Excellence is confidence.
Perfection is doubt.

Excellence is flowing.
Perfection is pressure.

Excellence is journey.
Perfection is destination.

I don’t know about you, but today I’m going to work on Excellence… and let perfection go for another day!!

Author: Chris Brown

Business owner operating a marketing consulting firm. Online Publisher. Keynote Speaker.