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The Tyranny Of The Adequate

by | Process

What’s the greatest barrier to brilliant work?

Is it fear? Lack of time or resources? Confusion?

All of these contribute to one degree or another. I’ve written a ton about each of them, (including a full chapter in [amazon_link id=”1591846242″ target=”_blank” ]The Accidental Creative[/amazon_link].) However, there’s one word that I think better stands as the bastion of mediocrity in many workplaces: adequacy.

“That’s close enough.”
“Seems reasonable.”
“That will sell-in.”
“It’s the most likely _______.”

Most of us are being tasked with doing more with less, and the first or most reasonable answer is the one that lets us move on the the next project as quickly as we can. We equate moving simply through our work with actual progress.

Frankly, this isn’t always the wrong strategy. Sometimes adequate is appropriate. However, not nearly as often as we employ it as our primary strategy.

Why do we settle so easily?

Mind-numbing repetition. When your work is highly repetitive, it’s easy to succumb to a sense that you’re being carried along by your work rather than driving it. (Why put yourself fully into this project when there’s another similar one coming along tomorrow?) The counter-strategy is to make sure that you have clearly defined edges for your work (objective and defined success criteria) so that you don’t drift with the tide.

Fuzzy boundaries and definition. When accountability is lacking, it’s easy to let someone else make the bold decisions. As Scott Mautz told us in a recent podcast interview, you get the culture you allow. If you want to have a culture in which everyone reaches for brilliance, each person must feel accountable for the end result of the work.

Unnecessary Complexity. When you are forced to navigate needless (or senseless) hurdles just in order to engage in your work, it can thoroughly zap your drive to excel. Make certain that you’ve defined the problem in the most simple way you can, and that you are eliminating any unnecessarily complex elements of your process.

Lack of a through-line. Finally, if you tasks lack “connective tissue” to tie them all together into a greater sense of purpose, it’s easy to lose your passion. Try as much as you can to understand the context of your work, and to tie it back into the overall “why” of your role and your organization.

Don’t fall prey to the tyranny of the adequate. Sure, there are times when it’s wise to settle for the most reasonable answer, but don’t allow the daily grind to lull you into mediocrity.

Todd Henry

Todd Henry

Positioning himself as an “arms dealer for the creative revolution”, Todd Henry teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of five books (The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Louder Than Words, Herding Tigers, The Motivation Code) which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work.

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2 Comments

  1. Adam Thomas

    “Don’t mistake activity for progress”.

    I have been watching a lot of kung fu movies and it got me thinking about dojo’s…and the things described in this post are where the dojo excels at. (the good ones).

    The job of a teacher of a dojo is to simply, teach, and make its students the best they can be, all the while stressing the importance of the mundane…the simple work that will take them from unfocused human to superior wushu machines…

  2. Jackie Silseth

    I think that another reason we fall to adequacy is just plain fear – this can tie in with the fuzzy boundaries, but also there can be a stigma with trying to push forward, or the fear that your ideas won’t be accepted. It can just be easier sometimes to accept an idea that you KNOW is adequate – even if it’s not up to your personal standards – than it is to keep pushing forward and holding your team accountable.

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