The Diminishing Returns of Inspection
By Peter LloydAbraham Lincoln or P. T. Barnum may have said, "You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time." It may have been, "... all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time..." but the pithy part stays the same. You can't please all of the people all of the time. So why try?
The principle behind these wise words drives what we might call the Law of Inspection:Take anything, show it to any number of people and some will like it, others will not.Surveying the masses is not a problem when you do so to see who's the hottest supermodel, sexiest man alive, or other such nonsense. But when you're evaluating the work of creative people, showing it around invites disaster. The more people you show, the greater the risk.
Let me frame that in a positive voice: I've learned that when I am responsible for approving creative work, I can spare myself and the creative people who report to me mountains of wasted time, if I rely on my own judgment. I might even save the work from disaster. There's nothing inherently wrong with seeking advice, of course, but I know that doing so exposes me and the work to many traps. Here's how to avoid those traps.
Seek the advice of as few people as possible and only if you have to.
Every person you add to the approval gantlet increases the opportunity for damage. Each will try to find something wrong. Most will succeed. It works the same way as the Richter Scale does. Seeking approval from six people will be ten times as destructive as showing it to five.
Never let fear of disapproval move you.
Most of your negative comments will originate from fear. Don't enter the darkness. I once named a light and sophisticated salad recipe the "Beverly Hills BLT." Unfortunately a local nightclub of that named had burned to the ground a decade previously. Someone on the long list of approvers feared that a potential customer might associate the crispness of the bacon in the salad with the victims of the fire. I did not make this up!
Consider the source.
When you pass creative work by the legal department, for example, listen only to their legal opinions. Ignore whether they think the headline, logo size, or talent hair color is appropriate. Never listen to the advice of lawyers, teachers, or librarians regarding grammar! Use general inspection or public opinion in order to find something you may have missed, never to guide creative.
Have the salt handy.
And take all advice with a grain of it. Certainly you've heard a version of the proverbial story of the radio commercial that featured the voice of an imaginary man from Mars. The producer was stopped in his tracks (pun intended) when his client complained, "That doesn't sound like a Martian." Only someone who has spoken recently with Martians should have been sought for advice in this case.
Forget about pleasing everybody.
Apply the wisdom of Honest Abe or Sleazy Barnum. It's impossible, utterly unthinkable, that everyone will like what you present. Asked to evaluate, most people will look for something wrong. If they don't see anything, they will make something up.
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Rick Nelson summed up and sang this lesson better than Barnum or Lincoln in his 1972 hit song "Garden Party."But it's all right now, I've learned my lesson well
You see, you can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself
Peter Lloyd is co-creator with Stephen Grossman of Animal Crackers, the breakthrough problem-solving tool designed to crack your toughest problems.