By Martha O’Keefe, Associate Vice President of Workforce at Germanna Community College
“Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good,” was a quote I recently read in the Washington Post. It was said by one of the co-founders of Honest Tea beverage company as he discussed his business’ success over the years. That company has certainly had some great success. So it struck me as odd, why would a “good” effort be defended? Don’t we all want to be better than “good” in our careers? Don’t we need to do more than “good” work to be successful?
So it definitely got me thinking. Especially since I feel that I work pretty hard at my job, and always try to do my best. And I like to think that my work efforts are better than “good.” But I have to say, with an ever-growing workload, I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of new programs and services that seem to be added every year. This on top of the already full workloads we continue to have. So each year it seems harder and harder to juggle the work volume and continue to meet the increased goals.
But meet the goals we must, as well as maintain quality outcomes. Though this is probably the case in most work environments today. So, something’s gotta give. I think this is where “good” comes into play. And where “good” is indeed good enough, and can be great, actually. How do we do this? One way I think we do this by cutting corners on time, not on the quality of outcomes.
For example, if I have to prepare for a presentation, I am spending much less time on creating the PowerPoint slides than I used to. There are fewer slides and bullet points, though when making the presentation I try to be sure all the important content is shared and discussed. And over the years, reports and updates to my supervisor have grown much shorter- very direct and to the point. (I’ve developed a relationship with her such that I know she’ll let me know if she needs additional details, which I can/do provide.) And my emails to colleagues have also gotten shorter and more focused; the number of abbreviations they contain sometimes surprise me! Emoticons can sometimes be a blessing, if used judiciously. Of course, certain reports and correspondence have to adhere to standard form and guidelines. I also do more meetings and conferences via interactive video or phone, versus traveling to the meeting location, when it’s conducive to do so. And when running meetings, I always start and end on time, and usually try to finish early. The meeting notes capture just the most critical information and action items, with the specific tasks and timelines that the team has agreed on.
For me, these are just a few examples of doing work that is “good” yet still keeps our team on track, and results in quality outcomes. Is this perfect? Probably not. But when you add up good efforts, and the time saved and used for the critical issues, they may come close. I’m sure you’ve developed many “good” systems in your own offices throughout your careers. What are those? Can you share them with us?
The one thing I feel we shouldn’t ever shortcut on, though, is the human factor. I don’t believe there are any shortcuts to cultivating “great” working relationships with colleagues. Relationships with the individuals within our teams need to be established and nurtured. Unless we give full time and effort on that front, there will be little support for any of our other good efforts. I’m sure this is another topic well worth discussing!
So, here’s to your good work being some of your best work!
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