Is "Pretty Good" "Good Enough"?

[dourobob]

Is \"Pretty Good\" \"Good Enough\"?

One of my favourite farmers/authors, Joel Salatin, wrote an essay one time, I think it was called "Pretty Good is Good Enough".
One of his examples was about his Dad who was a perfectionist. His Dad would get upset if a gate was not built perfectly square at the corners. Joel seemed to think the cattle wouldn't notice a difference of a few degrees out of square and, as long as the gate worked to keep the cattle on the proper side of it, well, it was "pretty good" and therefore "good enough".
Recognizing there are times when perfection is absolutely needed (airplanes come to mind) it is also important to recognize the times when "pretty good" is exactly what is required and the time invested to make something more than "pretty good" might be better spent on another project.

Interesting approach. What do you think?

Bob

 

[Bird]

Re: Is \"Pretty Good\" \"Good Enough\"?

Bob, that reminds me of an old friend who used to say, "The nemesis of good is better." He expressed the thought that trying to improve something a little bit might make it worse. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif However, this same guy was something of a perfectionist himself. He once sold what I considered a perfectly good radial arm saw to buy a new one because the first once wasn't quite precise enough. And when we did little jobs together, like painting the inside of our houses, we always let him do the little tedious jobs like painting trim because he would be more careful than most. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Henro]

Re: Is \"Pretty Good\" \"Good Enough\"?

Bob,

I think perfection is an illlusion.

People just stop at whatever lever of "good enough" they are comfortable with.

Even airplanes have tolerences and they are not all perfectly identical. They are just all good enough.

Good, better, best
Never let it rest
Till the good get better
And the better get best

This is not something I want to live by!

I would rather let it rest and enjoy, when "good enough" is reached. I'll let the others chase the elusive goal of perfection and being best. I said elusive but meant illusionary! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

And remember...

#1 is not necessarily the goal of a smart #2!

That is saying I saw written on the wall in the last steel mill where I worked. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

Re: Is \"Pretty Good\" \"Good Enough\"?

<font color="blue"> #1 is not necessarily the goal of a smart #2! </font>

Winners never quit.

Quitters never win.

Those that never win and never quit are Idiots


Saw this on the Bathroom wall where I work.

 

[MikeInIdaho]

Re: Is \"Pretty Good\" \"Good Enough\"?

Perfect is often too good! When you make something perfect you have invested so much time and/or money in it that it looses some of its utility. When I was younger, I polished and plated everything in the engine compartment and suspension on a Corvette. The I wouldn't drive it in the morning when the roads might be wet from people watering their lawns. By the time it was "safe" to drive, there were no "safe" parking spaces availible. I had made my car too nice to be practical.

You would think that I learned a lesson but then I did this to the interior of my airplane:

http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photogallery/MU-2%20Mike/Rear%20Cabin.jpg

So maybe I didn't!

 

[Harv]

Re: Is \"Pretty Good\" \"Good Enough\"?

How many products go to market before they are "perfected"?

Pretty good is good enough. Just ask Bill Gates. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Buck]

Re: Is \"Pretty Good\" \"Good Enough\"?

Or better yet, ask one of his competitors. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Bird]

Re: Is \"Pretty Good\" \"Good Enough\"?

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Pretty good is good enough. Just ask Bill Gates )</font>

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gifVery good. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Re: Is \"Pretty Good\" \"Good Enough\"?

What a great topic for discussion.

I have a reputation for being a perfectionist. I think people are a little hard on me. I see it only as wanting things right.

For me the biggest motivator in seeking perfection is I believe it's all about the journey. The destination is where you land when you've done everything else.

From that perspective it's easy to appreciate striving for perfection as being more important than the perfection itself.

I'd like to think I understand that perfection is an illusion. I do know that I work at it and something somehow always seems to sabotage a project from being totally perfect. I guess it's because I understand that is why I find things as being parts more than a whole.

That way I can dig a perfect hole and get that satisfaction. I can follow that with a perfectly plumb post that's in line and at the right height the first time. I get the warm fuzzies over that part of the job.

Then when it's all done and I look down the line and see a bobble or a waver I'm disappointed. But only a little bit. Because I understand that there were so many good things that happened producing that line. And the next time I will go for the real perfect one because this one was so close.

I've even got this attitude down to the point that I look for perfect post hole digger loads. I find myself trying to bring it up full each and every time. When I don't I'm disappointed and more determined that the next trip down will not come back up as a failure.

Maybe a better way to describe it would be to look at an oil painting from just an inch or so. The perfection is in each and every brush stroke and color choice. With so many there's lots of opportunity for failure. And there will be an imperfection here and there. But as one backs away and gets perspective the individual brush stroke and color failures are obscured by the overall affect of the painting itself.

I see work that way.

But I also understand that if there are too many imperfections or if the overall concept is wrong, it's crap. I don't want to be known for that.

I used to teach telephone cable splicing. One of the points I always tried to get across was that there was an imaginary line. On one side of the line would be quality. On the other side would be production.

Production without quality would become expensive due to repairs and corrections. Quality at the price of production would be expensive too. So what we wanted to do was find that pace where the quality was high and so was the production.

Like I said, great topic, I live it everyday, trying.

 

[KiotiJohn]

Re: Is \"Pretty Good\" \"Good Enough\"?

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( You would think that I learned a lesson but then I did this to the interior of my airplane</font> SECURITY ALERT!!
You have a stowaway hiding under one of the seats. Could be a terrorist. Please contact airport security for immediate removal of the perpetrator. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif John