There’s a famous account of how demanding Secretary of State Henry Kissinger could be. Winston Lord, ambassador to China in the 1980s, took a draft of a speech to Kissinger, who asked, “Is this your best you can do?” Lord took the draft back and worked on it, only to be challenged by Kissinger again and again by asking if this was the best he could do.
Finally, on the ninth draft, when asked if this was the best he could do, Lord said, yes, this was the best he could do. Kissinger replied, “In that case, I’ll read it now.”
People are motivated to perform at their best when they feel pride their work and feel that it is respected and has meaning.
Don’t deprive them of the opportunity. If you accept work that is not at the highest potential, you are supporting a “good enough” attitude. If you ask them if it is their best work, you are not only encouraging them to put in their best effort—you are saving yourself time by bringing the work up to your expectations!
Recent Comments