Perfection is the enemy of progress

A bold statement by Winston Churchill. It cannot be, one may argue, a blanket statement. Indeed, perfection does make sense when we refer to the basic rules, the fundamentals like mathematical tables, a musical composition. theorems etc.

Move over to the world of problem solving in organizations. Once the objective is clear and the why determined, it beats me why leaders spell out the how, when , where, who –  meaning they actually have the entire solution figured out in their minds – the “t”s crossed and the “I”s dotted. All they expect is for someone to execute  – and needless to say this someone ends up being a bot. All this in the name of perfection?

Once a leader determines the why they should let go – and empower the team to challenge the objective, explore alternatives, get innovative.  This will encourage out of the box disruptive thinking. It is indeed a megalomaniac that believes his idea or way is the ONE right way.

As a leader when you coach your team set them free, let them swing their arms, let their mind wander – figure out for themselves. What if they make mistakes? Ah! I ‘d say. What if they come up with a masterstroke? If they come to you for validation, fine – if they don’t, still better. Sometimes you don’t even correct them – let them learn for themselves, let them discover. A small price to pay for ingeniousness. They will not be constrained by limits you impose on your own thinking, biases and prejudices you have been brought up with, their solutions will be different from yours and who knows, better! What better than bringing out the best in them.

It is sad sometimes teaching aims at creating perfectionists at the cost of creativity and the spirit of enquiry. 

Creativity and innovation begin where the mad quest for perfection ends.