Optimize vs. Maximize

When I googled optimize vs maximize, I found this comparison “Maximize is about raw return, about getting maximum revenues and profits. Optimize is about ROI—seeking results relative to the investment required.“

So why would we ever choose to maximize? Yet some of us default to the maximize choice without even thinking about the difference.

• How often do we notice something, point it out, and then regret it later, wishing we had kept quiet? 
• How often do we wait for more or better information and miss an opportunity?

There is both a time factor and a human factor to optimizing ROI. We often wait too long and strive for that final 5%, hoping to have perfect info upon which to base our decision. 

Or, instead of building up the confidence of the person doing the job, we ask for one more change, one more fix, and lose the opportunity to show appreciation for what the person has already accomplished.

In our quest for excellence, we sometimes forget that perfection and excellence are not the same, that excellence can be knowing what to accept as good enough and what to overlook.

Here’s an idea.

Today, instead of looking around and noticing what is missing, what if:

• You look instead for what is right?
• You see a critical item that is working and give someone specific, positive feedback?
• You decide to overlook something that may be good enough given its relative importance, even if it isn’t exactly what you wanted?