The First Refusal: When “Good Enough” Isn’t Enough
Lately, I’ve been taking on more work after a period of downtime. And a few days ago, I experienced something new – my first refusal. Someone approached me with an opportunity, and I simply turned it down with a polite “thanks, but no thanks.” It wasn’t a tough decision, but I found myself reflecting on why I said no.
I’ve worked with this company before. They’re just 10 minutes from my home, and with the flexibility of remote work, I could do the job from anywhere. Still, my instinct told me it wasn’t the right fit. So, why the sudden refusal? After some thought, I think I’ve figured it out.
A ‘Favour’ vs. a True Partnership
One of the first things that didn’t sit right with me was the tone of the request. The person I spoke with seemed to have the attitude that they were “doing me a favor” by offering the work. It’s a subtle but significant shift in perspective. It didn’t make me feel valued, and that always raises a red flag for me.
But there was a more fundamental reason for my refusal. Although the company is fairly large—around 6,000 employees across multiple countries—their approach to technology felt stuck in a “good enough” mindset. On the surface, that might sound fine. After all, many companies aim to deliver just what’s needed to move forward. But my experience with this company made it clear that this was more than just a strategy; it was a way of operating that left me frustrated and unfulfilled.
“Good Enough” Doesn’t Cut It
I’ve often said that I struggle to know when something is truly “done.” It’s a fine balance between perfection and completion, and I sometimes lean too far into perfection. It’s not a humble brag—anyone who’s seen my dial plans will understand.
This company, however, had an organisational mindset that leaned far too heavily on “done but not perfect.” It wasn’t just an occasional occurrence; it was the norm. The approach was one of constant compromise, and that’s not a place where I thrive. What made it worse was their frequent boast about being under-budget on projects. Yet, they had large product support teams that seemed to go unnoticed—a case of neglecting the quality of the output while claiming to save money perhaps?
The result? A lot of patching over previous decisions that were made too hastily, leading to more work down the line. For an architecture role, it felt more like 60% architecture and 40% cleaning up past mistakes. Much of my time was spent deciphering old PowerShell scripts that were meant to “quickly resolve” issues. I remember the first time I used ChatGPT to summarise a script—it felt like I had found a godsend.
The “Test System” Debacle
One particularly memorable example was a core business platform upgrade. The team had run out of VMWare capacity, and they couldn’t wait for the upgrade timelines. So what did they do? They dropped the requirement for a Test System. While that might sound like a small change, the reality was that they had actually dropped the need for a live system. All users were now effectively working in the test environment. As you can imagine, chaos ensued.
This situation raises an interesting question: when do we hit the point of diminishing returns in terms of effort versus value? When is something “good enough”? We all set our own boundaries in these matters, but within organisations, some people have more influence over where those boundaries lie than others.
For me, that drive to finish things properly is essential. It’s not about making something “work”—it’s about making something work right. A job well done leads to a deeper understanding of the platform I’m working with, and it’s far more satisfying than merely “making it do stuff”.
The Impact of Mediocrity
The real issue with a “good enough” culture is that it leads to mediocrity. If you’re constantly being asked to deliver work that’s average, you start to deliver average work. This affects motivation and, over time, can feel demoralising. Mediocre work starts to feel like a norm, and it’s easy to slip into that mindset across a wider array of tasks. It feels defeating.
Another practical issue I encountered at this company was the constant requirement for unexpected, unplanned work outside regular hours. Incident management calls at odd hours were the norm. Now, I know correlation doesn’t equal causation, but after experiencing this regularly, I couldn’t help but notice the pattern.
The Hidden Costs of “Good Enough”
When we talk about the point of diminishing returns, most people focus on the practical side of things—the time, effort, and resources required to finish a task. I however think we often overlook the broader impact. What about the toll it takes on our work culture, our personal time, and even our self-esteem? Delivering “good enough” feels like accepting mediocrity, and who wants to settle for that?
Over time, this affects your confidence in your abilities, and that, in turn, shapes how much influence and success you can achieve in your career. Constantly being asked to settle for less doesn’t just impact the work—it impacts the worker.
In Conclusion
After some reflection, I can see why I turned down that opportunity. It wasn’t just about the work itself, but the company’s approach to delivering quality and the impact it had on their team. I’ve learned that striving for more than “good enough” isn’t just beneficial for the projects I work on—it’s essential for my own growth, motivation, and satisfaction.
Now, I think I’ll go have an argument with a PowerShell script. It’s been a while.
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