As a teacher, I decided to battle the following all-too-common scenario: a student finishes an assignment and brings it over to me, asking:
“Is this good?”
What a dangerous question!!
It reveals a fear to take chances, an inability to make decisions, and a desire to do just enough to be… done.
Time to retrain!
I tackled this problem head on. I told my class:
Friends, from now on, no one may ask me “Is this good?” because I think you’re really asking, “Can I be done yet?” You decide if you’re done. But you may ask me, “Is this great?”
“Is this great?” completely reset expectations.
We’re not aiming for “just good enough to be done”. We want excellence!
And, the funny thing is, no one ever asked me “Is this great?”.
Because, well, you know if it’s great or if it’s merely good enough to be done.
A simple and highly-recommended solution!