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June 03, 2005
The Case Against Perfection
Way too often, especially in the VC business, talk of the beautiful future takes up a lot more time (and warm air) than talk of the practical steps needed to make progress. I can't even count the number of companies that come in talking about the amazing "platform" they have built (meaning technology rather than business platform) that will make them a huge industry leaders someday without any idea of the actual thing they could offer that real customers will buy now. I can't count the number of geniuses with the ideal plan for the perfect situation in the market - who have no idea what they will do in the wild eccentricities of the market.
Thus it was really refreshing to chat with a CEO recently who had a great focus on all three of the ABCs - the vision, yes, the roadmap yes, but also a starting point that simply made sense, even if it wasn't pristine or ideal. In the midst of our conversation she had a terrific quotation:
"Never let PERFECT get in the way of BETTER."
Boy are these words to live by, not just in marketing, or business but in all of your life. Here a number of other quotes that reinforce the same sentiment that I just thought were fun to keep in mind:
"Perfectionism is the enemy of creation, as extreme self-solitude is the enemy of well-being." - John Updike"A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week." - George S. Patton
"The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides." - Henri-Frédéric Amiel
"I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business." - Michael J. Fox
"Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it." - Salvador Dali
"Strive for excellence, not perfection." - H. Jackson Brown Jr.
"I don't confuse greatness with perfection. To be great anyhow is…the higher achievement." - Lois McMaster Bujold
"A diamond with a flaw is worth more than a pebble without imperfections." - Chinese Proverb
Maybe I like these because I think action and failure and learning are the key to all forms of evolution -- or maybe I like these because they make me feel better about myself ;-)
Posted by johnza at June 3, 2005 04:35 PM
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