“We didn’t design the new Wired [on-line magazine] to be perfect. We designed it to be perfected” (Scott Dadich). Wired magazine recently launched a new web site and this caveat was provided by their Editor in Chief as he introduced the launch. Behind some great writing is a great principle.
I love the simplicity of this concept. It may be a modern day variation of the golden rule (if you need a reminder, it is to do unto others as you would have them do unto you).
Here are a few simple examples of this attitude in action.
Customer Service: While dining at a trendy restaurant in San Diego, our medium burgers were served rare. They were dripping blood. When our harried waitress checked-in she immediately owned the problem and waived our bill before we requested it. For everything! Would I visit this establishment again? You bet!! Customer Service isn’t perfect but in can be perfected.
Employees: The old adage reminds us that ‘a rolling stone gather no moss’. I am hard on employees who gather moss because they were not willing to put in the effort to improve. However, grace abounded for those who rolled. Sometimes they rolled in the wrong direction, but they rolled! Employees are not perfect but they can be perfected.
Leaders: I love it when I hear leaders apologize. Not because I want to be the one who is right. Rather, it’s because an apology shows that they have enough humility to acknowledge that they are not infallible. Leaders are not perfect but they can be perfected.
Children: I am embarrassed to admit that when my kids behave poorly publicly, I am usually more concerned about how this affects my image than I am about their perfecting process. I’ll bet I’m not alone on this one. Good parents provide an environment that fosters growth which means mistakes will abound. Kids are not perfect but they can be perfected.
Marriage: A colleague once confessed, “our marriage was pretty lousy for the first 20 years. Then we stopped trying to change each other and it’s been great ever since”. What happens when we focus our efforts on changing ourselves instead of someone else? Marriage isn’t supposed to be perfect but it can be perfected.
You: Some people wear perfectionism like a badge of honor. To me, it’s a red flag. Conversely, others renege on any responsibility to do their best and this is no better (e.g. – the rolling stone principle). The happiest people I know realize they are far from perfect and thrive within the paradox of perfecting imperfection. You aren’t supposed to be perfect but you can be perfected.
To paraphrase Dadich, life isn’t designed to be perfect. But it is designed to be perfected. That’s a principle to live by!
Jeff Suderman is a futurist, professor and consultant who works in the field of organizational development. He works with clients to improve leadership, teamwork, organizational alignment, strategy and organizational Future-Readiness. He resides in Palm Desert, California. Twitter: @jlsuderman
Scott Dadich (April 2015). Welcome to the next wave of Wired. Wired Magazine, p. 16.
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