Few weeks back, I was working with my junior colleague on creating โ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ถ๐ค๐ค๐ฆ๐ด๐ดโ parameters customized to my portfolio. We both tried to come on the same page, but everyday there was an argument. Mostly from my side. Since the work completed was never at par with my expectations. And I was constantly pushing him to do better. He was trying his best, but not to my satisfaction.
This made me think, he really doesnโt understand the scope of work OR is he intentionally doing it below par OR he doesnโt have enough skills to perform the job. In reality, none of that was true. He has been doing that work for years, and everyone else was happy with the result, except me this time.
Then one day, I was listening to a recorded leadership lecture given at IIT Kanpur. The professor suggested to students that โ๐๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ง๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ช๐ด๐ต, ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ต๐ณ๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐น๐ค๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌโ. That enlightened me, Ohh YES, thatโs the weakness in me and not in the other person.
I was trying to accomplish “perfect” results overlooking what small improvements he was doing and making the product better & better. I was becoming judgmental about him, rather than looking inward within myself.
My realization : When work completed is not perfect, doesnโt mean, itโs wrong. Doesnโt mean itโs a failure. Why should one carry the mindset of โ๐๐ถ๐ค๐ค๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ข๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ด๐ตโ? Pursuing excellence on the other hand, allows us to do better every day. Allowing us to see improvements done by others, with open mindset.
Someone rightly said, โ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฃ๐จ๐ง, ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐ ๐โ. It also boils down to famous debate โฆ โDoes PROCESS is important OR RESULT is important?โ
What do you think?โ