One of the challenges of teaching and coaching is knowing that many student/athletes are willing to accept less than their best effort both on and off the court. Best effort 99.9% of the time seems to be a reasonable expectation for many. However, here's what that translates to in real life.
From the Lyle School of Engineering at SMU:
"When it comes to quality, 99.9% just isn't good enough." Is 99.9% a reasonable goal? What does it mean?
If all things in life were done right 99.9% of the time, this is what we would have to accept:
• 1 hour of unsafe drinking water every month.
• 2 unsafe plane landings per day at O'Hare Airport in Chicago.
• 16,000 pieces of mail lost by the U.S. Post Office every hour.
• 20,000 incorrect prescriptions every year.
• 500 incorrect operations each week.
• 50 babies dropped at birth every day.
• 22,000 checks deducted from the wrong bank account each hour.
• 32,000 missed heartbeats per person each year.
Suddenly the quest for "zero defects"makes a lot of sense!
We seek perfection knowing that we will never achieve it. Never be satisfied with "good enough."
From the Lyle School of Engineering at SMU:
"When it comes to quality, 99.9% just isn't good enough." Is 99.9% a reasonable goal? What does it mean?
If all things in life were done right 99.9% of the time, this is what we would have to accept:
• 1 hour of unsafe drinking water every month.
• 2 unsafe plane landings per day at O'Hare Airport in Chicago.
• 16,000 pieces of mail lost by the U.S. Post Office every hour.
• 20,000 incorrect prescriptions every year.
• 500 incorrect operations each week.
• 50 babies dropped at birth every day.
• 22,000 checks deducted from the wrong bank account each hour.
• 32,000 missed heartbeats per person each year.
Suddenly the quest for "zero defects"makes a lot of sense!
We seek perfection knowing that we will never achieve it. Never be satisfied with "good enough."
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