cmc/cleberg.net

  1#+date:        [2020-10-12 Mon 00:00:00]
  2#+title:       On Mediocrity
  3#+description: Thoughts on mediocrity and when perfect is the enemy of good.
  4#+slug:        mediocrity
  5#+filetags:    :personal:
  6
  7* Perfect is the Enemy of Good
  8
  9As the saying goes, "the best is the enemy of the good." As we strive for
 10perfection, we often fail to realize the implications of such an undertaking.
 11Attempting to reach perfection is often unrealistic. Even worse, it can get in
 12the way of achieving a good outcome. In certain situations, we try so hard to
 13achieve the ideal solution that we have burned the bridges that would have
 14allowed us to reach a lesser yet still superb solution.
 15
 16Philosophers throughout history have inspected this plight from many viewpoints.
 17Greek mythology speaks of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_mean_(philosophy)][golden mean]], which uses the story of Icarus to
 18illustrate that sometimes "the middle course" is the best solution. In this
 19story, Daedalus, a famous artist of his time, built feathered wings for himself
 20and his son so that they might escape the clutches of King Minos. Daedalus warns
 21his beloved son whom he loved so much to "fly the middle course", between the
 22sea spray and the sun's heat. Icarus did not heed his father; he flew up and up
 23until the sun melted the wax off his wings. For not heeding the middle course,
 24he fell into the sea and drowned.
 25
 26More recently, management scholars have explored the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle][Pareto principle]] and found
 27that as we increase the frequency of something, or strive to perform actions to
 28achieve some form of perfection, we run into [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns][diminishing returns]].
 29
 30Even further, Harold Demsetz is noted as coining the term [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_fallacy][the Nirvana fallacy]] in
 311969, which shows the fallacy of comparing actual things with unrealistic,
 32idealized alternatives. This is another trap that we may fall into, where we are
 33constantly thinking of the ultimate solutions to problems, when something more
 34realistic needs to be considered.
 35
 36Over and over throughout history, we've found that perfection is often
 37unrealistic and unachievable. However, we push ourselves and our peers to "give
 38100%" or "go the extra mile," while it may be that the better course is to give
 39a valuable level of effort while considering the effects of further effort on
 40the outcome. Working harder does not always help us achieve loftier goals.
 41
 42This has presented itself to me most recently during my time studying at my
 43university. I was anxious and feeling the stresses of my courses, career, and
 44personal life for quite a while, which was greatly affecting how well I was
 45doing at school and my level of effort at work. One day, I happened to be
 46talking to my father when he said something simple that hit home:
 47
 48#+begin_quote
 49All you can do is show up and do your best. Worrying about the outcomes won't
 50affect the outcome itself.
 51#+end_quote
 52
 53The thought was extremely straightforward and uncomplicated, yet it was
 54something that I had lost sight of during my stress-filled years at school. Ever
 55since then, I've found myself pausing and remembering that quote every time I
 56get anxious or stressed. It helps to stop and think "Can I do anything to affect
 57the outcome, or am I simply worrying over something I can't change?"
 58
 59* When Mediocrity Isn't Enough
 60
 61One problem with the philosophies presented in this post is that they are
 62implemented far too often in situations where mediocrity simply isn't adequate.
 63For example, let's take a look at digital user data, specifically
 64personally-identifiable information (PII). As a cybersecurity auditor in the
 65United States, I have found that most companies are concerned more with
 66compliance than any actual safeguards over the privacy or protection of user
 67data. Other than companies who have built their reputation on privacy and
 68security, most companies will use [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisficing][satisficing]] as their primary decision-making
 69strategy around user data.
 70
 71#+begin_quote
 72Satisficing is a decision-making strategy or cognitive heuristic that entails
 73searching through the available alternatives until an acceptability threshold is
 74met.
 75#+end_quote
 76
 77This means that each decision will be met with certain possible solutions until
 78one of the solutions meets their minimum acceptable standards. For companies
 79that deal with user data, the minimum-acceptable standards come from three
 80areas:
 81
 821. Laws and regulations
 832. Competitive pressure
 843. Risk of monetary or reputation loss
 85
 86Working with project management or auditing, the primary concern here is the
 87risk of legal ramifications. Since the primary risk comes from laws and
 88regulations, companies will require that any project that involves user data
 89must follow all the rules of those laws so that the company can protect itself
 90from fines or other penalties.
 91
 92Following this, companies will consider best practices in order to place itself
 93in a competitive position (e.g. Google vs. Apple) and review any recent or
 94ongoing litigation against companies regarding user data. In a perfect company,
 95management would then consider the ethical responsibilities of their
 96organization and discuss their responsibilities over things like
 97personally-identifiable information.
 98
 99However, as we mentioned above, most companies follow the idea of satisficing,
100which states that they have met the minimum acceptable standards and can now
101move on to other decisions. Modern business culture in the United States
102dictates that profits are the golden measure of how well a company or manager is
103performing, so we often don't think about our responsibilities beyond these
104basic standards.
105
106Not all situations demand excellence, but I believe that applying any philosophy
107as a broad stroke across one's life can be a mistake. We must be able to think
108critically about what we are doing as we do it and ask ourselves a few
109questions. Have I done everything I can in this situation? Is mediocrity an
110acceptable outcome, or should we strive for perfection, even if we can't attain
111it?
112
113Taking a few moments to think critically throughout our day, as we make
114decisions, can have a tremendous effect on the outcomes we create.