Monday, September 22, 2008

Is there anything more frustrating

Is there anything more frustrating? Anything more de-motivating? Anything more demeaning?

No doubt there is – but when you see what I am talking about – I think you will see my point – exaggerated as it may be.

You are asked to do something. The request sounds mundane. You know you can do better. And you do!
But then all hell breaks loose.

“You didn’t do what was asked”….we protest…”what we did was better”…”But not what I asked”…”This is much better”…”Not what I wanted”…

See my point? Ever been there?

In my experience – it happens at home and work; between friends and clients – in fact across all types of relationships – no matter what the core of the bond.

Seems to me there is a simple dynamic at work here – balancing the need to listen…carefully…with the desire to show that we can do more; we know better; we are ready to work harder.

And here is the simple insight – LISTEN. Answer the question. Once you have fulfilled the need you can do more. But first prove that you can do the basics.

If I was searching for a book on home vegetable gardening in an urban apartment environment from Amazon and they served me the best, most comprehensive tome on agricultural science and trends for large scale corporate combine farming – what would I think? Do you imagine that I would buy the book or be impressed with their ability to understand me?

Listen to one of the great leaders of the last century who was famed for going the last mile:

It’s not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what’s required.
~Sir Winston Churchill

And there you have it.

Sometimes we just have to suck it up and answer the question – no matter how simplistic we think it is. That, I believe, earns you the right to go the next step.

Doing our best doesn’t prove that we can do what’s required. But like in any good quiz show, if you answer the question right, you get to go to the next round.

What do you think?

Posted by David on 09/22 at 08:58 AM
(14) Comments • Permalink

  1. This reminds me of a definition of 'quality' I once heard (I believe it was attributed to Marshall Field) .. "Do the right thing, at the right time, in the right way". In a restaurant, I could be served the most perfectly cooked steak ever grilled, with the fastest service possible, along with the most incredible presentation of the dish... the problem is that I ordered fish. The consistent delivery of the three 'rights' is what our clients expect, and what we should expect of ourselves.

    Posted by Wayne Berry  on  2008-09-22 15:35:45

  2. Great analogy -- works with marketing too -- the greatest program can get you trial but a crappy product will not get you a customer

    Posted by david sable  on  2008-09-22 15:43:45

  3. I would prefer the Steak, if the fish is a wrong choice.

    Posted by Christian Lürzer  on  2008-09-22 15:48:29

  4. You go to a restaurant and the waiter asks what you would like as a side dish. You scan the menu and order potatoes. Your potatoes arrive, but then you notice the person next to you has French fries. Now, if the waiter had told you about the French fries you would have ordered them. Frustrated, you call the waiter back and say that you want French fries instead of potatoes, but the waiter says that it is too late and that you will have to pay extra for French fries. You don’t want to pay extra, so you grumble that that the potatoes are fine, slag off the service to your partner, and when it comes to pay the bill you don’t leave a tip. You then leave the restaurant dissatisfied and go to the chippy next door, vowing never to go to that restaurant again because all you really wanted for dinner was French Fries. Perhaps sometimes it’s good to show people the fries when all they asked for is a potato?

    Posted by Rebecca Hanson  on  2008-09-22 16:00:02

  5. interesting! But Im opening a fallafel stand....

    Posted by david sable  on  2008-09-22 16:18:40

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