Precision: the
degree of refinement with which an operation is performed
Perfection: freedom from fault or defect
I am a
perfectionist in many aspects of my life. Just look at my kitchen cabinets or
my dresser drawers. I want to be the best in everything I do. For the most
part, this can be a good thing. Striving for high achievement is an admirable
goal, something that society places in high esteem. But it can also be a curse.
Today is
Military Monday and I would like to reflect on the perfectionism that comes
with the military community.
The Army
has standards; PT tests, leadership dimensions, battle drill execution. You
name it and there is more than likely a standard the Army uses to evaluate its
soldiers. Combine a bunch of Type-A personalities that want to be the best and
a culture based on standards, and perfectionism is a natural by product.
This isn’t
necessarily a bad thing. Standards a set to ensure that soldiers and units are
proficient in certain skill sets. Success in the realm of warfighting requires
this. If a unit doesn’t meet the standard for the execution of certain battle
drills, someone will probably die in combat because they weren’t ready.
Standards are good.
I do not
have a problem with standards. I set certain standards for myself to strive
for; I have others set for me. They are a part of life. Like I said, I am a
perfectionist of sorts, so these standards help to motivate me. But I do have a
problem with the way that we measure achievement of certain standards.
I was
recently thinking about the PT standards that soldiers and cadets must adhere
to. We are evaluated on pushups, sit-ups, and a two-mile run (branches differ
slightly). In ROTC, we are given a PT test once a month during the school year.
More frequent tests means that our level of physical fitness needs to stay
higher than if we only took the test once or twice a year. But there is a
recurring phenomenon whenever it comes time to take the test.
Cadets
slack on their PT during most of the month, but then run two-a-day workouts
during the few days prior to the test so they can make up for their laziness
the rest of the month. Don’t get me wrong – I have done this myself. But that
doesn’t make it right.
Here is
the problem: there is no consistency. Perfection is the goal, but it is a
one-time perfection rather than a habit of consistent success.
Go back to
the definitions at the beginning of the post. Perfection is being without error
– hitting the center of the target. Precision is the degree of refinement. In
other words, it’s how tight the shot group was.
Here is my
point: It’s easy to hit the center of the target once. I can run two-a-day
workouts to up my PT score. I can cram for a test to hope for a better grade.
It might work, once out of five times. That one instance of perfection should
not be our goal – precision should be.
That means
working out when it doesn’t seem to matter. It means studying weeks in advance
for a test. It means putting in the effort day in and day out so that success
manifests itself as a tight shot group in the center of the target, not a lucky
break every now and then.
Useless Fact of the Day: It is illegal to eat
oranges while bathing in California.