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-date = 2020-10-12
-title = "On the Pursuit of Mediocrity"
-description = ""
-draft = false
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-
-# Perfect is the Enemy of Good
-
-As the saying goes, "the best is the enemy of the good." As we strive for
-perfection, we often fail to realize the implications of such an undertaking.
-Attempting to reach perfection is often unrealistic. Even worse, it can get in
-the way of achieving a good outcome. In certain situations, we try so hard to
-achieve the ideal solution that we have burned the bridges that would have
-allowed us to reach a lesser yet still superb solution.
-
-Philosophers throughout history have inspected this plight from many viewpoints.
-Greek mythology speaks of the [golden
-mean](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_mean_(philosophy)>), which uses the
-story of Icarus to illustrate that sometimes "the middle course" is the best
-solution. In this story, Daedalus, a famous artist of his time, built feathered
-wings for himself and his son so that they might escape the clutches of King
-Minos. Daedalus warns his beloved son whom he loved so much to "fly the middle
-course", between the sea spray and the sun's heat. Icarus did not heed his
-father; he flew up and up until the sun melted the wax off his wings. For not
-heeding the middle course, he fell into the sea and drowned.
-
-More recently, management scholars have explored the [Pareto
-principle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle) and found that as we
-increase the frequency of something, or strive to perform actions to achieve
-some form of perfection, we run into [diminishing
-returns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns).
-
-Even further, Harold Demsetz is noted as coining the term [the Nirvana
-fallacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_fallacy) in 1969, which shows the
-fallacy of comparing actual things with unrealistic, idealized alternatives.
-This is another trap that we may fall into, where we are constantly thinking of
-the ultimate solutions to problems, when something more realistic needs to be
-considered.
-
-Over and over throughout history, we've found that perfection is often
-unrealistic and unachievable. However, we push ourselves and our peers to "give
-100%" or "go the extra mile," while it may be that the better course is to give
-a valuable level of effort while considering the effects of further effort on
-the outcome. Working harder does not always help us achieve loftier goals.
-
-This has presented itself to me most recently during my time studying at my
-university. I was anxious and feeling the stresses of my courses, career, and
-personal life for quite a while, which was greatly affecting how well I was
-doing at school and my level of effort at work. One day, I happened to be
-talking to my father when he said something simple that hit home:
-
-> All you can do is show up and do your best. Worrying about the outcomes won't
-> affect the outcome itself.
-
-The thought was extremely straightforward and uncomplicated, yet it was
-something that I had lost sight of during my stress-filled years at school. Ever
-since then, I've found myself pausing and remembering that quote every time I
-get anxious or stressed. It helps to stop and think "Can I do anything to affect
-the outcome, or am I simply worrying over something I can't change?"
-
-# When Mediocrity Isn't Enough
-
-One problem with the philosophies presented in this post is that they are
-implemented far too often in situations where mediocrity simply isn't adequate.
-For example, let's take a look at digital user data, specifically
-personally-identifiable information (PII). As a cybersecurity auditor in the
-United States, I have found that most companies are concerned more with
-compliance than any actual safeguards over the privacy or protection of user
-data. Other than companies who have built their reputation on privacy and
-security, most companies will use
-[satisficing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisficing) as their primary
-decision-making strategy around user data.
-
-> Satisficing is a decision-making strategy or cognitive heuristic that entails
-> searching through the available alternatives until an acceptability threshold
-> is met.
-
-This means that each decision will be met with certain possible solutions until
-one of the solutions meets their minimum acceptable standards. For companies
-that deal with user data, the minimum-acceptable standards come from three
-areas:
-
-1. Laws and regulations
-2. Competitive pressure
-3. Risk of monetary or reputation loss
-
-Working with project management or auditing, the primary concern here is the
-risk of legal ramifications. Since the primary risk comes from laws and
-regulations, companies will require that any project that involves user data
-must follow all the rules of those laws so that the company can protect itself
-from fines or other penalties.
-
-Following this, companies will consider best practices in order to place itself
-in a competitive position (e.g. Google vs. Apple) and review any recent or
-ongoing litigation against companies regarding user data. In a perfect company,
-management would then consider the ethical responsibilities of their
-organization and discuss their responsibilities over things like
-personally-identifiable information.
-
-However, as we mentioned above, most companies follow the idea of satisficing,
-which states that they have met the minimum acceptable standards and can now
-move on to other decisions. Modern business culture in the United States
-dictates that profits are the golden measure of how well a company or manager is
-performing, so we often don't think about our responsibilities beyond these
-basic standards.
-
-Not all situations demand excellence, but I believe that applying any philosophy
-as a broad stroke across one's life can be a mistake. We must be able to think
-critically about what we are doing as we do it and ask ourselves a few
-questions. Have I done everything I can in this situation? Is mediocrity an
-acceptable outcome, or should we strive for perfection, even if we can't attain
-it?
-
-Taking a few moments to think critically throughout our day, as we make
-decisions, can have a tremendous effect on the outcomes we create.