Perfection

“This is perfect.” I have heard that a million times, heck I have said it a million times. We use that phrase to define a situation that couldn’t seem better, like relaxing on a beach with a cold beverage. We also use that phrase in jest to define a situation that couldn’t seem worse, like a flat tire on the way to a big meeting. I don’t have any statistics to back this up, but I suspect in nearly every scenario that things could actually be a little better (or a little worse); so even those scenarios aren’t “perfect”.

So, big surprise we don’t live in a perfect world. I love the time with my family and I love my time at work, but neither one is exactly right day in and day out. So maybe pushing for “perfect” is an unattainable goal, but I feel strongly that I should still be pushing for “better”. This reminds me of a favorite quote of mine from President Theodore Roosevelt-  

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

I love this one because it really applies to every situation. Over time organizations will make the necessary adjustment to add associates as volume trends upward, they will adjust systems to meet the evolving needs of their clients or to address regulatory change and will ultimately tweak processes to make the organization more efficient; but it won’t be perfect. System changes will inevitably have some unforeseen impact on another part of the process. Newly created process efficiencies will create an unplanned pitfall in the service delivery model. When a company devises the “perfect” solution, the rules will change and that solution will be made obsolete.

I don’t mean this post to sound negative; in fact, I am really looking at this as a big positive. Just because I cannot find perfection, doesn’t mean that I am not up for the challenge of making things better. I want to make my team/department/company better, I want to make my family better and I want to make my community better.  I am excited to do that with the people that I have around me. None of us are perfect; but if we do what we can, with what we have, from where we are we can certainly move things in the right direction.

So, here is my challenge to each of you this week. Let’s do what we can, with what we have, where we are at. Let’s work together a little more, let’s work a little bit harder and let’s be proud of what we have accomplished.

Onward and Upward!