Obviously the title is just there to grab your attention. Qualifier: I believe in doing your best at your job. I actually tweeted something with that idea a few days ago.
But if we only have the idea of doing your best, there’s something missing. And that thing is encapsulated in the idea in this quote by Winston Churchill which was tweeted by Paolo Punzalan.
What this means is sometimes “I did my best…” becomes an excuse for a lack of delivery. We think that when we can say we did our best that’s enough.
Just like the song goes, “I did my best, but I guess my best wasn’t good enough.”
Here’s the problem with saying you did your best, while failing to deliver results:
- No one can really tell if you gave your best or not. It’s too easy to pull out that reason. And fool others or even fool ourselves that that really was our best.
- Outside of grade school, nobody judges you by doing your best. If you tell Meralco that you didn’t pay your electric bill but you tried your best, they’ll still cut your power. If you tell your boss you really tried your best to come on time, but you still came late anyway, he’ll eventually fire you. Because the world needs results not intentions.
So, as we go about work and life today. Remember, don’t just do your best. Instead, do what’s required. Deliver results.
