In the movie “Spinal Tap” about a made up rock band and their exploits, there is a scene where the interviewer is asking about the guitarist about an amplifier where the numbers on the volume go to “11” instead of “10” as on all the other amplifiers. The guitarist explained when 10 was not enough and he needed that little bit extra volume to push it over the edge he would go to 11. The interviewer asked if they could not just make 11 on the amplifier a 10 instead like the other amplifiers. The guitarist looked puzzled and said, “but this on goes to 11.”
Many times, in life we give enough that we have thought we have given a 10 and that everything is perfect. Sometimes the 10 is just not enough and we need to give it just a little bit more. There are other times we think we have pulled off a “10” when in the judgement of others we’ve only pulled off an “8.”
An example of this is can be studying for a test or giving a presentation. We think we know the material or have practiced enough. In reality, we need to go as far as we think we need to plus just a little bit more to pull off what we want. When I taught engineering courses, I gave hard tests. I would always tell my students that they should know the material plus a little bit more.
Remember, if we are in competition with others for something we want, they may be bringing a “10+” while we are only at a “10.” This could be a job, a sports competition etc. We really don’t know what they are bringing beforehand. In some cases, like in a job interview we may never know our competition is bringing. We must also remember that some peoples “8” is better than our “10,” so we must be at our best to win the day.
In reality, we need to use our judgement on when to take things to “11.” Not everything needs to be perfect. It’s okay for you to leave a spot in the kitchen sink from time to time while cleaning the house. It would be unwise to put next level energy into everything we do -we’d be exhausted. There are other things like job interviews, work presentations to a customer, that need much more refinement.
When you go into a project, presentation, job interview etc., decide on whether you need a 10 or not. If you do need a 10, take it to the next level and take it to 11.