|
|
| Author: Glenn Shepard |
Some people waste their lives trying to avoid making mistakes, but cripple their careers since perfection isn't attainable. They ultimately make fewer mistakes but accomplish less because they waste so much time trying to make things perfect. Time is money in business. Doing a good job today is more profitable than doing a great job tomorrow.
Rock star Jon Bon Jovi's career might have ended before it started had he not understood this principle. He was only 21 when he won a contest with a radio station to record his first song in 1983. He quickly formed a band and released a debut album that went gold the following year. Suddenly they were opening a concert for ZZ Top at Madison Square Garden. They were rushed to record a second album and strike while the iron was hot. It was released in 1985 to poor reviews. Jon was unhappy with the album and wanted to do better, but timing was critical. The band moved past this bump in the road and released a better written and produced third album in 1986. Jon still wasn't happy with the album because he didn't think one particular song was good enough to be included. Fortunately for him, he listened to the people who knew the business side of music. That song was 'You Give Love a Bad Name'. It became one of the band's most well-known singles and helped send the album straight to number one. This launched them into super stardom and they went on to sell more than 100 million albums. Had they waited until the second album was perfect, they might have lost the support of their record label before they got to the third.
This is what happened to rock legend Tom Scholz. He's often referred to as the smartest man in the history of rock and roll. He holds a masters degree in mechanical engineering from MIT and is listed as an inventor on 34 U.S. patents. The 1976 debut album by his band Boston sold over 16 million copies and remains the biggest selling debut album in history. It's also considered one of the best-produced albums in rock history. Scholz played every instrument on every song and produced the album himself. He's brilliant and talented. He's also a consummate perfectionist who took eight years to finish the third album. CBS/Epic Records got tired of waiting for it, sued him for breach of contract, and dropped Boston from their label.
It's okay to have high standards as long as they're realistic. It's not okay to procrastinate until everything is exactly the way you want it to be. Your employer doesn't have time to wait around until you get things perfect even if you are a genius inventor or legendary rock star. Deadlines must be kept and payroll must be met. An electrical engineer who attended my management seminar in Orlando once told me that he has to constantly remind the engineers he supervises that sometimes 90 percent is good enough.
Highly valued employees don't necessarily make fewer mistakes than run of the mill employees. In fact, they often make more mistakes because the number of mistakes increases as productivity increases. They just know the right way to do it. Making mistakes is okay as long as:
1. They're reasonable mistakes to make.
2. You catch your own mistakes.
3. You correct your own mistakes.
4. You accept responsibility.
5. You don't blame others.
6. You don't make excuses.
7. You don't hide your mistakes from your boss.
8. You learn from your mistakes.
9. You don't repeat the same mistakes.
10. You apologize when it's appropriate. |
Author Bio:
Glenn Shepard is a professional speaker and author of the #1 Best-Seller ??How to Be the Employee Your Company Can??t Live Without??. He is recognized internationally as a leading expert in leadership and career development. Get his free report ??The One Thing That Every Employer Values More Than Job Skills?? now www.glennshepard.com/free-resources.html |
| You can search for this article using: success, dress for success, success quotes, business success, lean manufacturing success |
|
|
 |
| |
Related Articles |
| |
Enchantress Series, the Beginning
|
| |
Is God in Politics?
|
| |
Failure Is An Option!
|
| |
God's Name... Creation and Undoing!
|
| |
Challenges at Home or Abroad
|
| |
Right Thinking Verses Wrong Thinking
|
| |
Creating A Space For Your Destiny
|
| |
Create Your Own Luck And You Will Never Fail
|
| |
Pray Off Your Debts in 10 Days or Less - A Short Case Study
|
| |
Dreams
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
In Colossians 2:16 it reads "Let no man therefore judge you in meat (offering), or in drink (offerin ... - Debra Lohrere |
| |
|
Everybody has one great insight that they can give you, and The Single Piece Of Trash Theory. is jus ... - Dr. Gary S. Goodman |
| |
|
One of the most frustating causes of stress is the eruption of unconscious automatic negative behavi ... - Nick Arrizza, M.D. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
We discovered that wounding, desertion, deception, and rejection were all components of betrayal tha ... - Candie A. Price |
| |
|
We know it takes diligence in order to succeed in anything. Whatever it is that we put our minds to ... - Vivian Gordon |
| |
|
Does your prosperity seem to always be out of reach? Do you feel as if you are the most unlucky pers ... - Linda Kleist |
| |
|
This article reminds you that St. Valentines day can be everyday. - Tony Cuckson |
| |
|
To us Reiki, the energy, is 'spiritual' energy or 'sacred' energy or we believe Japanese Reiki Maste ... - Bronwen Stiene |
| |
|
| |
|
|
