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Is "The Best" really the enemy of Good?

by Dean Martin
9 replies
Voltaire's quote: "The perfect is the enemy of the good." or "The best is the enemy of the good" is often used to keep people from being paralyzed into inactivity because they haven't reached perfection yet or their idea is not completely finalized.

While I'll admit there is some wisdom in that premise in that it's better to actually get something put into place than to do nothing - I also find a lot of Internet marketers throwing a lot of sub-par ideas / sites / articles / ppc campaigns at the wall hoping that something works and not taking the time to hone and perfect one thing that could actually vault them into real profits!

Though the basic premise of the light bulb had already been invented (carbon element in a vaccum) Thomas Edison worked for over 2 years changing the shape of the element / perfecting the vaccuum pump etc. to improve the life of a bulb from 13.5 hours to over 1500 hours. I'm glad he didn't think 13.5 hrs. was "good enough" and move onto his next project.

I belong to a male singing organization that has an annual international competition to judge the best chorus and quartet in the world. Since 1979 The Vocal Majority, a 100+ man chorus out of Dallas, TX has won every competition they've entered (rules require a 2 year hiatus after each win). Many choruses have tried valiantly (and some came very close) to beat them. As such it has pushed the quality level of all competing choruses to a higher and higher level.

Did I say they won every time they entered? Until this year when they were beaten by one of the most dynamic performances I've ever seen.

Ambassadors Of Harmony - Gold Medal Performance

See if you don't agree that sometimes "Good enough" is the enemy of continuous improvement, true success and real innovation.

What steps can you take to not become complacent and move your business to the next level?
#enemy #good #performance #quality #singing #the best
  • Profile picture of the author MinisiteMatt
    I tend to overthink things way too much and sometimes that gets in the way of actually "doing". I've found that if I sit down and spend some time creating an outline of what I want to accomplish, then it becomes easier for me to "do" as I can see what needs done right in front of me and I can take it one step at a time.

    If you're referring to getting things "out there", that's where testing comes in. Don't be scared to get your project rolling because it's not perfect... just get it up and then test, tweak, improve.
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  • Profile picture of the author bobsedge
    Striving for perfection will kill more ideas than you can imagine. When it comes to launching a new project or idea my theory is "good enough is good enough".

    I worry about making it better later.
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    • Profile picture of the author MinisiteMatt
      And by "good enough", I think he means good to begin with. It's gotta be good before you can even think about releasing it. There's enough crap out there already
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  • Profile picture of the author Dean Martin
    I guess I'm talking to myself as much as anyone else - too often I settle for just "good enough". If I truly want to differentiate myself and my businesses it takes continuously improving processes / automation / customer service / etc.

    Putting out average effort and average products will result in average results.

    I'm looking for truly extraordinary results...
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  • Profile picture of the author bobsedge
    When I say "good enough" that has nothing to do with the benefits and features. The benefits in particular need to be extraordinary. The problems start when we procrastinate on launching because not every "i" is dotted and "t" is crossed.

    Get it out there, blemishes and all, and strive for perfection as you go.
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    • Profile picture of the author George Wright
      Originally Posted by bobsedge View Post

      When I say "good enough" that has nothing to do with the benefits and features. The benefits in particular need to be extraordinary. The problems start when we procrastinate on launching because not every "i" is dotted and "t" is crossed.

      Get it out there, blemishes and all, and strive for perfection as you go.
      Yes,

      Your customers will tell you where you need to improve. Customer feedback is the perfecter.

      George Wright
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      "The first chapter sells the book; the last chapter sells the next book." Mickey Spillane
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  • Profile picture of the author Kirahster
    I looked at the video! WOW how impressive is that...
    Is the there a video of the choir that usually wins?
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  • Profile picture of the author LB
    I think you're mistaken what "good enough" means in regards to how it is used in product creation etc.

    There's no reason to not release a product that's "good enough" as long as it provides value. But that doesn't mean it's never improved. "Good enough" is just the start, it can be tweaked and improved from there...and your customers will help you do it.
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