Honestly, although this will ramble along, there is a key professional/business related point that the writer is trying to make … if only he can remind himself of that 😊
Back in 1988, when contemplating past relationships, Fairground Attraction (fronted by Eddie Reader) sang that ‘It’s got to be Perfect’ or, to be more precise, Be e e e e e e ... Per er er er er er’ fect – an absolute tune by the way!
1988 was also a pivotal time in my life … after 4 post uni years of working for a small oil & gas service company, I secured a role with an Operator – at that time, Amerada Hess were a fast-growing player in the North Sea and I went on to enjoy a fantastic 16 years with Hess, working in Aberdeen, London, Copenhagen, Rio de Janeiro plus short-term assignments in Gabon and in Norway – Happy Days. It was also the year when I met the lady that I’ve called my wife for the last +33 years – I repeat – Happy Days!
So, what did I learn during my 16 years with Hess (and/or) my +33 years with my wife?
Aiming for perfection is a mugs game … like banging your head against a brick wall … it only feels good when you stop … but, by then, you can’t remember why you started the head banging in the first place.
In both my professional and personal life, I’ve become a great advocate of the 80/20 rule.
Strive to achieve at least 80% of your target(s) … because driving on to achieve that elusive 100% will be the start of your head banging … see above for where that leads.
At MDT, we say the same to our course participants - we offer a huge amount of topic information supplemented by trainer experiences … don’t strive to get every last point – aim for at least 80%.
All of which takes me to Big Ange.
After the chaotic Monday night Spurs v Chelsea game which involved 9 separate VAR interventions, leading to an additional 21 minutes being added to the game, Ange was asked for his opinion on VAR. To be fair, he offered his consistent view - in striving to achieve some form of perfection in decision making, VAR is in danger of ruining football (I’m para-phrasing here), while never actually achieving the perfect outcome.
So, at least in my opinion, the final score is: Ange Postecoglou 1 Eddie Reader 0 … sorry, not sorry Eddie and absolutely no VAR checks for Big Ange’s goal!
How about you – are you a fan (or not) of the 80/20 rule. Perhaps perfection is the key? For the football fans, what’s your take on VAR – helping or hindering?