My Two-Cents: Good, not Great

I'd like to know if the product designer for Yeti ever thought "Hmmm, maybe we are making our products a little too good." What I mean by that is this: It would be nice if my Yeti cup didn't do its intended job of keeping my coffee warm so well. It would be nice if I could actually drink my coffee without frying my tongue off without waiting at least three hours after it’s poured. Yeti, I would actually like to consume my morning cup of Joe while it’s still morning, understood? Maybe you should let your product design team to take it down a couple of notches: let’s aim for Good, not Great. 

I don’t think I’m the first one to stumble upon the revelation that sometimes good can surpass great. Good old John Steinbeck notoriously said, “Now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” Are you hearing that Yeti? Perfection is not necessary. I need you to prevent my coffee from getting cold, not keep it hot enough to give me third-degree burns for the duration of my morning. If John Steinbeck and Roy Seiders (Mr. Yeti-CEO-man) had collaborated, I wouldn’t be here rambling right now. But they didn’t, so I guess I’m going to take this as a lesson to learn.

Good enough is often great. It may be even more than great; it may be perfect! I think what John was getting at when he said his good/perfect line was that perfect isn’t real. And the most “good” things are really just the truth. So by constraining yourself to perfection, you’re missing out on the truth. The real stuff. By not holding yourself to the idea of being perfect, you can finally be good. And in this same line of logic, Yeti Corporate can admit that their perfect products are actually impractical, and they can finally develop good ones I can use! And therein lies the truth.

The one exception to all of this is Ted Lasso -- that show was good, perfect, and the truth all at the same time. And the season three finale was fucking electric.

Kate