I stole the \u201cB\u2013 analogy\u201d in the title from a marketing training, and it stuck with me ever since. B\u2013 is still good. Just not perfect. But in reality, we rarely need perfection as often as our inner standards tell us we do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We juggle countless things every day that don\u2019t require top performance and simply don\u2019t justify the effort.
An example from my own career: As an auditor, I had to complete the same 12-hour online training on ethics, compliance, anti-bribery, and anti-corruption every single year. The first time was interesting, the second was a good refresher \u2014 by the third, it was just tedious. So (without revealing how exactly), I found a way to \u201chack\u201d the system and pass the final test with minimal effort. Not with 100%, but the necessary 80%. B\u2013, good enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our everyday life is full of such situations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Team meetings:<\/strong> Who cares about a poorly formatted slide if the content is great? Why waste two hours fixing fonts and spacing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Safety or process protocols no one reads:<\/strong> Why hunt down the last typo? What matters is that the safety rules are known and followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perfection is often an elegant form of procrastination. It feels important but doesn\u2019t move results forward. Quality where it matters. For everything else: Action over perfection. And B\u2013 is often the sweet spot between diligence and progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A quick practical check helps, ask yourself: Who will use this? For what? And for how long? If the answers are short, one-off, or internal, B\u2013 could be a strategy. Save your \u201cA+\u201d ambition for the cases where visibility, risk, or strategic importance are truly high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To find inner peace, you must accept that team members deliver different results than you \u2014 if (and that\u2019s the big if) the quality is fit for purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this job from above, I had to write reports based on templates and submit them to my supervisor for review. What came back was completely red. Not a single word untouched. Sure, at the beginning part of that was inexperience. But I live by the principle: Make every possible mistake \u2014 but only once. So I improved. Yet the red marks didn\u2019t lessen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eventually, I realized that my writing style was simply different from my supervisor\u2019s. Not better, not worse \u2014 just different. He adjusted what I wrote to his writing style. Finally, when I got a new supervisor, the red disappeared. \u201cDo I dislike it because I would have done it differently?\u201d or \u201cIs there truly a quality issue \u2014 factual errors, missing evidence, unclear logic?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This mindset gave me much more peace of mind. Define standards:<\/strong> What does \u201cfit for purpose\u201d mean for this deliverable? Clear quality criteria per deliverable. Review against standards, not personal taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Separate \u201cmust-haves\u201d from \u201cnice-to-haves\u201d:<\/strong> Must-haves aren\u2019t negotiable. Nice-to-haves are polish \u2014 the 1.0 details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Live a learning culture:<\/strong> Once is learning, twice is a pattern. The second time, it becomes a process or capability issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use B\u2013 intentionally:<\/strong> Not cynically, but strategically. Ask: Is B\u2013 enough for this output\u2019s purpose and risk level? Results beat perfection when they enable decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re launching Research Leadership Mastery in mid-November. In our group sessions, we\u2019ll explore exactly these questions: What can you reasonably expect from yourself and others? How do you set meaningful quality standards? How do you balance quality and speed without burning yourself or your team out?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019d like to be guided in your leadership journey over several months \u2014 with less stress, more clarity, and a team that becomes a multiplier for your work \u2014 send me an email at robert@glia-leadership.com. We\u2019ll see together how we can help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n B\u2013 isn\u2019t a downgrade. It\u2019s an upgrade to your own and your team\u2019s work. B\u2013 is strategic prioritization. It gives you the time and energy for the real A+ moments, where quality truly matters and creates impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Robert<\/p>\n\n\n\n If this post resonated with you, we\u2019d love to keep sharing ideas, tools, and stories that help you reclaim your research time and lead with clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2) Quality can look different<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What did I learn? To evaluate others\u2019 work as objectively as possible (which is never fully objective, but we can try) and to depersonalize criticism:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That doesn\u2019t mean lowering standards. On the contrary, point out errors, highlight improvements, keep the bar high. But resist the reflex of \u201cI could do this better or differently.\u201d You\u2019ll achieve much more that way and your team will grow faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHere\u2019s a framework that helps:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Want more ease and impact?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nKeep the Conversation Going<\/h3>\n\n\n\n