What is Perfect?

Can you define perfection? Can you describe it?

Now ask your client what Perfect is. Does your client define perfection in the same way? If you both drew a picture of “Perfect”, would the two pictures look exactly the same?

(Hint: they would not.)

Perfection is a subjective value.

My suggestion to you today is that you focus not on being perfect, but rather on being valuable.

Perfection is the elimination of flaws; value is the creation of worth.

It is true that “valuable” is also subjective, but you can define what is valuable to the person at the other end of the action.

If you are serving a client, then valuable means what is of value to the client. You can draw a picture of the value that your client will recognize.

If you are working on your own business, then valuable means what is of value to your business, as in what will help your business move towards its goals.

When you focus on value you are focusing on a specific outcome for a specific audience. This can be written on paper, this can be described and agreed upon, this can be recognized by all parties involved. And thus it will be easier to determine when it has been achieved.

The word “perfect” should not appear on any work contract or in any strategy or quality assessment. What is perfect for your client may be an after-thought for you and a pursuit of perfection is an endless chase of an idea.

When you are chasing perfection, your work is never complete, there is always a slight improvement that can be made.

When instead you focus on value, you are not so concerned with eliminating flaws but rather with creating a positive outcome, and that outcome becomes more important than anything else.

Instead of working on what to avoid, you work only on what to achieve.

List what constitutes value to your clients, in terms of how they use your service.