The Problem With Best Practice
Have you ever wondered what is in fact best practice in any given situation. What the hell is worlds best practice anyway? Have you ever found yourself thinking, “Well that might be best for you buddy but that ain’t never going to fly in my situation?” Have you thought to yourself “I don’t have the resources to do SO CALLED BEST??!!!!!” bloody practice?”
The problem probably isn’t you or your ability to achieve so called best practice. The problem is when the idealism of best smashes into the realities of your world and you can’t find the policy document defining worlds best practice that covers your situation. When reality doesn’t allow ideal then you’re in trouble. How do you navigate a situation like that?
Idealism?
The problem isn’t the idea of doing our best. The problem arises when we begin to think in ideals. The words “worlds best” or even just the word “best” tends to suggest that there is a right way and a wrong way. What’s more it tends to suggest that if you fail to meet the ideal of best practice you have somehow failed. Or worse you’re a failure. When in fact you may have exceeded expectations, just not in an ideal way.
Thinking in terms of ideals suggests we can and should achieve worlds best practice (as defined by someone somewhere in the world, probably under ideal conditions) in any given situation. You can sometimes but more often than not you can’t, because circumstances don’t allow it. Life and career are too variable.
Optimal is Best.
That’s the bad news. The good news is there is a much easier way of dealing with any given situation ideal or not. That “Way” begins with shifting your thinking around “best” from an ideal defined by people vastly remote from your situation to what is optimal in any situation, given the realities on the ground and the resources available.
In other words we successfully navigate difficult situation by intending to create the most optimal outcome possible for the situation. We intend to be optimally effective.
What is Optimal?
By way of helping you understand the concept of optimal effectiveness here’s a simple definition I use in my training programs. Optimal effectiveness is the process of creating the most benefits for the most number of people using the least amount of resources. With that definition ringing in your minds optimal intentions are those that direct you to look for strategies that create the most benefits for the most number of people using the least amount of resources.
There is a dictum that I often refer to and that is: Optimal outcomes are derived from optimal strategies; optimal strategies are derived from optimal intentions. This means optimal effectiveness begins with the intention to create optimal outcomes.
How to Create Optimal Outcomes
As the above statement implies optimal outcomes begins with the intention to create optimal outcomes. What you need to determine is what is optimal in this situation given all the available resources. Not what is best or ideal or even the most desired.
You can’t always achieve worlds best practice, or ideal or even the most desired outcomes. You can however, always optimise your strategy to create the most optimal outcomes in any given situation.
Optimal Strategies Begin With Optimal Intentions
When it comes to setting intentions it is helpful to have the concept of optimal effectiveness ringing in your mind and use it to critically assess your plans. Using critical thinking you need to test your assumptions expectations, values, rules, intentions against the concept of what is optimal. What are you in fact trying to achieve and what is the most effective way of going about achieving that. ARE THERE BETTER WAYS?
If your ideas hold up to the optimal effectiveness test then you have a strategy that will create the best possible outcomes in that particular situation.
Critical Assessment
If we are truly use critical thinking we would challenge our ideas and look for reasons why they aren’t correct before we conclude they are correct. If your plans stand up to critical assessment then you have solid strategy that you can have great confidence in. If they don’t stand up to scrutiny then reject or park them and you will have saved yourself a whole lot of pain. We should take into account a broad range of influences not just a narrow range of influences and hope for the best.
What is right, best better or preferred in any given situation is what is optimal. You can only say something is optimal as you see it or non-optimal. If it is not optimal then why pursue it?
Before you start before you commit to a course of action you need to determine if your intentions, strategies and plans are optimal or non-optimal. To know the difference you need to test your ideas against the optimal effectiveness test. That’s simple enough to do if you’re willing to critique things effectively and let go ideas that don’t pass muster.
That test is this “Do my intentions, strategies and plans satisfy the optimal effectiveness test?” (To create the most optimal outcomes for the most number of people using the least amount of resources.) Does my strategy and plans support the intention to create optimal outcomes. Finally, post hence, did the results of my efforts satisfy the optimal effectiveness test.
If you learn to do this test well you will begin to create solutions that work optimally in any circumstance. If you learn how to think in terms of optimisation you will also begin to see opportunities that other people reject. You will create success out if seemingly impossible situations. You will also begin to get runs on the board while others who are stuck being wedded to limiting ideals can’t fathom.
Why We Tend Not to Think In Terms of Optimal Effectiveness
Most people I work with don’t have any problem with the concept of optimisation so why is it that most people don’t do it very well? The answer to this question is more complicated than may seem at first and is certainly beyond the scope of this blog, but it’s worth having a quick look.
To fully understand the answer you need to understand the neuro-psychology of the brain as well as the human tendency not to critique themselves, to wed themselves to their initial ideas, to be impulsive, or get defensive when challenged. Many of us unwittingly set problematic intentions such as the intention to have to win, or remain in control, avoid risk and a whole lot of other bad or faulty ideas. Sometimes it’s simply because you haven’t given it enough thought or tested it against the benchmark of what is optimal.
Rigid or non-adaptive thinking is a common problem when trying to set optimal intentions. We may believe the BS (Belief System) in our head is right best better or prefered and refuse to consider alternative points of view. We may think our first intentions are best, better or preferred and then go about looking for evidence to support that idea, whether it has merit or not. Or worse we do a cost benefit analysis but fail to take into account something as important as people, engagement, investment, motivation and morale.
Before You Take the First Step
When you let go shiny terms like ideal and best and get down to the coal face and start digging, you very quickly come to realise that optimal is always best in any given situation, its just may not quite as neat or tidy, or pretty as ideal.
In short optimal is best.
Cheers
Jim