Jimmy Valvano, former coach at North Carolina State, in a speech just prior to his death said, "I see a good life as lived by doing three things every day: we must laugh, think, and cry. It's an eventful day. You can't be bored." Valvano's ingredients of an eventful day makes for a pleasurable life that can create opportunities for people to do the unexpected while "connecting" to those around them in meaningful ways. Without laughter, exchanged thoughts that matter, doing things together, even arguing and achieving agreement and disagreement, relationships would disconnect both on and off the job.
It seems many people allow open relationships and forgiveness of imperfection to only happen outside work. On the job what is expected and/or tolerated stops with a little laughing, limited thinking, and, of course, never to disagree or become emotional about their work or what is happening around them. The implication is that the workplace and the necessary relationships within the workplace must be perfect.
The outcome is that members of organizations are expected to act as if they are on high doses of mind numbing drugs all day--zombies that do as they are told without asking questions, raising uncomfortable issues, or stretching to do the unexpected or imperfect. Symbolically, people at all levels of many organizations are portraying that: "We must pretend that this place is perfect. If not, it will fail."
Work is to be done by 'perfect' people who are offering unquestioning actions of obedience within the status quo.
The outcome is that the person who suggests there may be an imperfection, bringing up the possibility of a need for change, is seen as "bad" or out-of-step.
Expecting our organizations to be perfect is not logical or possible. We can't leave our problems at the door--or ignore problems in our workplace--because we are human. Instead, if we accept that our organizations are illogical, imperfect, and potentially conflictive, we can create innovative, forgiving, and wonderfully illogical organizations that are productive and exciting to work in. We can laugh, think, and cry....together, each day creating connected and productive opportunities for perfection and imperfection both on and off the job.
What can each of us do to practice being 'almost perfect' in our imperfection while forgiving our workplace and the people in them for their flaws.