Thou shalt (NOT) cast the first stone

I live by old values, but am well-disposed to change and realize that value systems evolve and evolution of values is not necessarily a bad thing. Therefore, though I was taught in school that "only s/he who is without sin may cast the first stone" (John 8:7), I realize that constructive criticism is a key ingredient to continuous improvement and hence, I truly believe that one need not be above board before pointing out another's shortcomings. Indeed, I will decry a poor user interface for instance, even I cannot design a good UI for nuts and likewise, I will willingly accept meaningful criticism on the quality of my cooking from someone who can't even tell whether the stove is on or off.

But there's a fine line there. There's a fine line between providing constructive criticism and ascending the throne of Vikramaditya and absolving oneself of all shortcomings while haughtily finding fault with all & sundry. And my blood comes to an instant boil - so help me God - when people knowingly, regularly cross that line.

Therefore, someone pulling people up for coming to meetings without preparing for or without reading background emails on the agenda and subject matter is fine even if that person himself hasn't read all the background information. But pulling people up when that person himself hasn't read all the background information under the pretext that it is okay - for whatever reason - for him to come ill-prepared is unacceptable. Likewise, pointing out non-compliance of some process by someone who is himself not fully compliant is okay, as long as that someone is trying to be compliant. But pointing out someone else's non-compliance while trying to dodge, trivialize or worse, justify one's own non-compliance is (grrr!) not acceptable.

Grow up, fellas!

Portrait of a perfectionist: points to ponder
can a perfectionist afford to be polite?
is a polite perfectionist really a perfectionist?
is a rude perfectionist really a perfectionist?



I used to take pride in my quest for perfection. A few of my friends and acquaintances even labelled me as a "perfectionist". I always wanted everything right. I still want everything right. Whether I ever got/get things right is another question! I used to get upset when even some little thing wasn't perfectly right. I still do. But my experiences of the last 8 years or so have left me wondering...

In the course of my professional life - and in my personal life - I have met 3 individuals whom I regard as perfectionists. For them, there is only one way of doing things - the perfect way. Anything less than perfect is unacceptable.

For imperfection to perfectly unacceptable, it requires perfect intolerance of imperfection. For, the slightest imperfection in the intolerance of imperfection is in itself an imperfection of perfection. :-)

The drivel apart, the fact is there are only two states when it comes to measuring perfection: perfect or imperfect - there is no in-between state; no 'almost perfect', no 'just a little imperfect'.

Therein lies the thought that has me pondering: it's difficult if not impossible, to practice zero tolerance of imperfection if you're polite all the time. Conversely, the slightest tolerance of imperfection automatically dilutes perfection. Which is why the laissez-faire ('chalta hai') attitude is a regressive one and is the bane of many an institution (including nations).

Of the three 'perfectionists' I allude to, two have awful people management skills (it would be a perfectly valid observation to jump and point out that therein lies an imperfection, but let's leave that aside for a moment) while the third has rather sound people management skills, but it doesn't take too many instances of imperfection to get him troubled. And let us not even get started on their EQ - as far as I am concerned, it's below mean sea-level. But that is not to say they are bad human beings. Indeed, I have a lot of regard for their professional abilities and have deep personal respect for at least two of them.

But the questions continues to bother me: how does one trade-off the quest for perfectionism with being civil? Can a perfectionist afford to be polite? Is a rude perfectionist really a perfectionist?

Things I am scared of:

1. Quotas (for anyone) in education and industry: We will be condemned for another 5 generations to be an under-developed country. I have seen Government interference destroy an entire industry (e.g., manganese ore mining) and an entire institution (e.g., the erstwhile National Centre for Software Technology).
2. Trends in education: Where is our educational system headed if the focus in not on curriculum and infrastructure improvement but rather on aspects of petty and narrow importance? Where is our educational system headed if the horizons are defined by politicians of stunted values, retarded intellect and peurile vision? The Karnataka Government attempts to pollute the University Syndicate by having its own dark horses on it. Claiming to be academicians of all things! Bah! Who decides on the fate of meritorious students? A committee that includes someone with the academic caliber of Sharad Pawar. Under any other circumstances, one could have had a good laugh, but with dark prospects threatening the competitive edge of the country, one can only hope for the best.