Your Best is Always Worth It

From the movie Freejack:

Alex Furlong : Man, if it's come down to this. What's the point?

Eagle Man : He Riddles me. The ancient riddle: "What's the point?" Have you ever seen an eagle flying back to his home with dinner for the Mrs. and all the little eagle babies. And he's flying against the wind and he's flying in the rain and he's flying through bullets and all kinds of hell, and then right at that moment when he's about to get back to his nest, he says, "What the fuck, it's a drag being an eagle" and right then two little x'es comes across his eyes just like in the old fashion cartoons. And he goes plunging down, and down and down and BAM. He's just a splatter of feathers and then we don't have the national bird of America no more. Did you ever see that?

Alex Furlong : No.

Eagle Man : Me Neither. Eagle's got too much self-respect. How's yours? 

This may be overly dramatic when compared to a well-written document or a nicely made McDonald's sundae, but in fact, it was the sundae that got me thinking about this.

Sometimes, the difference between half-baked and beautiful is a bridge too far. Often, though, it's caring a tiny bit. Literally- the tiniest bit makes all the difference. Compare an In-n-Out Burger or Chik-Fil-et tray to an indifferently built Mcburger or the aforementioned flaccid sundae. Contrast a room with no right angles compared to one that's square. Creaky floors versus solid. A proposal riddled with grammar/spelling mistakes, scratches on your fender from a mechanic's belt buckle, or any number of items in our daily lives that are less than satisfying.

Phaedrus discusses this quality in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, as does Mathew Crawford in Shop Class as Soulcraft, an Inquiry Into the Value of Work. Are we drifting away from the pursuit of excellence (and excusing it)? Written 36 years apart, their messages are wonderfully thought provoking and draw the same conclusions from uniquely different directions.

At the end of the day, I think quality and its execution exists in everybody, but it needs to be taught, recognized, and rewarded. Even something like cleaning a bathroom; if you're going to get your hands dirty, why not do the best job you can? And people notice! If the restroom is completely trashed, what can be said for the kitchen? Same thing when reviewing engineering drawings, placing pastries in a display window, or opening the door and greeting your passengers as they board your bus.

We get what we give, and I'm going to make a point of being part of the solution- I try to hold myself to a very high standard, but I need to do more. Some people that don't do a good job just suck. Quiet quitting is not a new phenomenon; slackers in the workplace have existed as long as human civilization. However, there are likely tons of us that can do much better by thinking about who's on the receiving end of the work, which brings me back to my crappy, first-world-problem sundae. If I would be offended receiving my own shitty work, how do my customer or employer feel?