Like a lot of people my office is littered with keepsakes from my career. One of my favorites is a horseshoe. It’s a reminder of a memorable business trip I made to the thoroughbred horse farms of Kentucky years ago. (I highly recommend going if you get the chance.)

Horseshoes are symbols of luck, that’s another reason I like having it around.  But recently it reminded me of a wise-ass expression we used as kids on the playground when someone almost scored or just missed making a big play in a game: “Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.”  (No, I don’t keep a hand grenade in my office too.)

I don’t know if that brand of sarcasm would resonate on a playground today, probably not.  Kids don’t play horseshoes much anymore and references to dangerous weapons like hand grenades are understandably not welcome in a school environment.

But there’s an enduring lesson in the expression about “almost” that’s worth considering.

“Almost” is not a concept that gets people excited, and for good reason. No one wants to almost get promoted, almost win the business, or almost get that great new job. If you work hard and are ambitious you rightfully want and expect results for your efforts. Almost doesn’t pay the bills or show well on a resume.

Yet at the same time this notion that almost isn’t good enough can lead to a type of binary thinking that is self-defeating and unproductive. I’m talking about the relentless pursuit for perfection. Likely you’ve heard another expression, “don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” Not everyone buys into this mantra. We pride ourselves on our high standards. Yet if you’ve ever worked for a perfectionist, you know how difficult it can be when high standards become impossible or unreasonable ones.

References to the value we place on the pursuit of perfection permeate our culture. We may not like to think of ourselves as perfectionists, but in truth any person whose achieved some measure of success in their career will say that they got there because they didn’t settle for almost or good enough. They pushed themselves and those around to get it right.

All that’s well and good but we miss an essential point if we dismiss “almost” and “good enough” as the havens of the mediocre or unambitious. A relentless focus on making something perfect can easily become a crutch for not finishing. What matters most is that we ship product, deliver the project, show up for the presentation on time. Said more simply: it’s about closing, not perfecting. Real success comes from learning how to make good enough, good enough to get it done.

The lesson of almost is critical if you manage people. Perfection is an impossible standard for any human being. We all make mistakes. At times people can be unforgiving when we fail to live up to their standards. The key to being a good leader is learning how to balance inspiring your team to do great work with patience and understanding when they don’t deliver as expected. (This is even more critical in our personal relationships.)

Lord knows I’ve been guilty of perfectionism more than once. I’ve pushed people at times in pursuit of unattainable perfection, only later to see the damage it caused. As a writer “almost” isn’t particularly aspiring when you’re trying to finish your second novel. Part of the reason I maintain this blog is a reminder that writing is meaningless if one doesn’t publish.

Learning to balance the desire to do great work while not forgetting that it’s all about shipping is a life-long pursuit. It’s helpful to be reminded every now and again that almost can be good enough. Yet another reason why my prized horseshoe will never be far away.