“Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.”
― Vince Lombardi Jr.
My friend, the Rev Albert Ocran, has a radio show on Joy 99.7 FM in Accra on Sundays called “Springboard”. He usually dwells on motivational and educational themes. Sometime last year, he did a series titled “10 Critical Success Factors”. Over a period of like 8 weeks, he talked to a string of thought leaders and entrepreneurs about what they saw as their 10 critical success factors.
One Sunday whilst listening, I thought of my own journey to figure out this puzzle called life. It started actively back in 1995, during a period of broken dreams. In the process I realized that unlike getting a formal education, life lessons are not taught formally as we grow from childhood into young adulthood. They are imparted loosely by parents and other family members. Sometimes by teachers, even friends or at church. In a period marked by working hard to attain a professional degree or learn a trade, life lessons take the back bench. That is until life rears it’s ugly head.
So I wondered if I could tease out 10 lessons from all that I had leant since I started on my journey of figuring things out. Over the next fews days, memories came rushing back and in that torrent, I was able to tease out 10 lessons – my critical factors.
Recent events have reminded me of one of these lessons. It is the one lesson that guides me most in my professional life. I am not always successful at letting it guide but I try.
It is a lesson gleaned from a story my mum told me as a boy. The story stuck with me and as I got older, it always seem to prove itself.
The lesson is: DO IT WELL!
It is the notion that whatever you do in life, do it well. Do it like you were doing it for yourself. Aim for excellence. Do that procedure well. Nurse that patient well. Defend that case well. Run that business well. Sell those goods well. Treat your wife or husband well. Raise your kids well. Preach that sermon well. Teach those kids well.
Now let me see if I can tell the story mum told me well:
In a city far away lived a very wealthy man. He loved new mansions. Every so often he had his favorite builder build him a mansion. He would live in there a few months or maybe a year and then get the builder to build him another. He had mansions dotting the city.
Then a major recession hit the city. For all that time, the builder never heard from his wealthy client. Things were hard for the builder but he managed. Then the economy recovered and business started to pick up again. The builder was busy again. After almost 2 years, the wealthy man contacted the builder. He wanted another mansion. This time, the wealthy man wanted the builder to use the most expensive marble, wood and stones. It was to be a masterpiece. The builder however was bitter. He felt the wealthy man should have reached out during the recession. He also felt the wealthy man never paid him enough for all the good work he did. He agreed to build the mansion but instead of using the best materials, he fudged. He used the cheapest marble and stones. The foundation wasn’t well-laid and the walls were weak. The roof shook when the wind blew and the windows clattered. It was his worst work.
The day arrived when the builder invited the wealthy man to take ownership of the mansion. The wealthy man met him in front of the mansion all smiles. The builder handed him the keys.
Then the wealthy man said:
“All these years, you have built me one great mansion after the next. I have been unwell these last few years and had to travel for treatment. I couldn’t help you during the recession. Now I am back and want to say thank you. This mansion is my gift to you for always doing things so well. You are the epitome of excellence”
With that he handed the shocked builder the keys to the mansion. Even as the builder took the keys, all he could think of was, “I should have built this well!”.
He should have.
Do it well!