Don’t Do A Good Job
People who do a “good job” are generally nice people who tried really hard. In the meantime a mother driving her kids to soccer just lost a tire on the highway. “No problem, Ralph, no one got hurt; you’ll get it right next time.”
Today at just about every turn we tell our kids “good job”, then hand them a participation trophy and head for the drive-through. We miss the opportunity to encourage them to try harder to do better.
Don’t lecture me on tender egos or breaking spirits. That’s bullshit. Our job is to let our children know that with practice and time and maturity and experience and trial and error and incremental successes they will surpass where they are right now. They are too young to amaze themselves. Too new to understand their ability to soar beyond their wildest dreams.
“Good job” is the bar we’ve set. It represents adequate, average or mediocre. Not excellence or mastery. Are we okay with this?
I’m not sure about you but I don’t want to hire an average plumber to fix my exploding toilet. Or trust my body to a mediocre brain surgeon. Even if he’s accumulated a closet full of trophies for his adult soccer league.
Listen, I’m fine with generic brown rice, no-name cotton balls and house brand potato chips. Plain, no frills toilet paper does the trick for me, although my husband prefers triple-ply baby soft Charmin. A story for another day, but probably the reason we have so many plumbing incidents.
We don’t want to buy goods or hire services that are just good enough. The inference being that there is something better out there so why settle for less than. Think about the commercial for GAS STATION SUSHI. Bad. Really bad.
For those who work harder to rise above the average, we are willing to pay more to get more. Fresh fish expertly prepared by a Sushi Master. Good. Very good.
In this scene clip from the award-winning movie, WHIPLASH, a dejected music professor extols his belief on the use of the words “good job”.
Don’t just do a good job.
Be better than average. Be extraordinary. Be excellent.
You’ll keep us from running to the toilet to use inadequate toilet paper because we accepted the “good job” from the gas station attendant who prepared our sushi.
Become the best plumber in the village. You’ll command top dollar. And we’ll gladly pay you to fix our exploding toilets.
BE F-G AWESOME TODAY!
Original graphic and quote: Stephanie DelTorchio
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