“Big things are accomplished only through the perfection of minor details.”
- John Wooden (1910 – 2010), legendary college basketball coach and molder of men
No joke, Coach Wooden began every season by teaching his team how to put on their socks. No wrinkles meant no blisters, which meant no missed practice time, which meant, it would seem, 7 consecutive and 10-out-of-12 national championships. Editor’s Note: Yesterday, I incorrectly attributed the concept of “perfect practice” to coach Wooden. Read on, as it was another legendary coach who gets credit for that misnomer.
Vince Lombardi is often quoted as saying, “Practice doesn’t make perfect; only perfect practice makes perfect.” Lombardi knew a little bit about winning (the NFL Championship trophy is named after him), and his stringent expectations are legendary, especially in Green Bay, WI (home of the 13-time World Champion Green Bay Packers, but I digress).
Wooden, on the other hand, openly stated that perfection was an “impossibility.” Yet high school coaches, department managers, and lots of other yahoos claim to expect it from their teams. It’s the striving that compels excellence. It’s the minor details that drive better outcomes.
How much time are we willing to invest in preparing for the presentation? How much time does it take to research a Client well enough to thoroughly understand their business and their place in the market? In an era of instant everything, and in a season where “Poll A says this” and “Poll B says that,” how much time does it take to reach an educated position and make our best decision?
Since I threw out Gladwell Monday, let’s toss in a little Stephen R. Covey and seek to understand. Editorials in Forbes Magazine are always listed under the heading of Proverbs 4:7-9; “With all thy getting, get understanding.”
Turns out wisdom is a better goal than perfection. And wisdom takes more practice than just about anything else. Turns out, it’s worth the effort.
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