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#+date: <2020-10-12>
#+title: On the Pursuit of Mediocrity
#+description:
* 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
[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_mean_(philosophy)][golden mean]],
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
[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle][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
[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns][diminishing
returns]].
Even further, Harold Demsetz is noted as coining the term
[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_fallacy][the 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:
#+begin_quote
All you can do is show up and do your best. Worrying about the outcomes
won't affect the outcome itself.
#+end_quote
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 [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisficing][satisficing]] as their
primary decision-making strategy around user data.
#+begin_quote
Satisficing is a decision-making strategy or cognitive heuristic that
entails searching through the available alternatives until an
acceptability threshold is met.
#+end_quote
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.
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