CFC Blog #31: Sculpting the Backsides of Our Work
Thank you Rob for so elegantly highlighting the value of putting forth energy to nourish and embrace even the smallest of details and efforts to make work and output outstanding. I think this is actually a great piece for today, Valentine's Day--I think perhaps not only can I engage more consciously with my daily tasks, but also with the efforts I activate and give to others. Happy Valentine's Day!
- Amanda
"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier" - Mother Teresa
It is waaaay neat that Valentine’s Day has a special place for love and romantic love at that! More widely I like the idea that it can be a day I strive all the more to be in a way that contributes to more and more opening of hearts. .... Pip
Sculpting the Backsides Of Our Work
I was having this wonderful conversation with a colleague about their company's thought-leadership program. They have this whole program where they create white papers for their customers and teach them about leading trends in the industry. And their white papers are amazingly good. I was asking my friend about how in one paper, in particular, and how they had included details that would elude most of their beginner audience (including me). But after I’d read it a second and third time I had finally noticed. These finely woven, and surprising, details ended up being one of the most interesting parts of the paper. My friend smiled and she said to me, “Yeah, we took our time, and we’re proud of that. We put that detail in just for us and as a little surprise for anyone that’s really paying attention.”
I told her that it reminded me of the story of the creation of the statues on the roof of the Parthenon in Athens. See, legend has it that when the sculptor, Phidias, finished the sculptures, the city accountant of Athens refused to pay his bill. He said, “These statues stand on the roof of the temple on the highest hill in Athens. Nobody can see anything but their fronts. Yet, you have charged us for sculpting them in the round, that is, for doing the backsides, which nobody can see.”
“You are wrong,” Phidias replied. “The Gods can see them.”
Last month Brinton wrote a wonderfully inspirational post about the virtue of “being ordinary”. It inspired me to ask if there might be a corollary about giving ourselves the permission to be extraordinary - even if we’re the only ones who notice. In today’s rushed world, I can’t help but notice that we are often encouraged to produce work at a level of “okay” or “good enough.” Business Gurus tell us to adopt processes that accept “minimum viability” in our products, our content, our strategies. In many cases, we’re rewarded for shipping the average rather than holding for the excellent.
Now, I’m sure this approach has its wisdom. I understand that sometimes we need to let go; and that perfectionism can paralyze. But at the same time (and this is my question really) - can’t we abandon perfectionism while we also hold the time and space to also pursue excellence? Can’t we do both?
I want to think that we can do the work like my friend is doing. She’s sculpting the backsides of her work – the parts that no one but she and the Gods (and maybe a few hyperalert readers) will see. It seems to me that the details in the craft of our work, no matter its type, is the one thing that algorithms and artificial intelligence will never replace. Why? Because machines will never be able to enjoy the satisfaction of being the only ones to appreciate what’s there.
It certainly puts joy into the work for me.