It sounds counter-intuitive. Were’nt we always told to show up 100% ready for everything that we are dealing?
But the point is when you try to get a subjective measure exactly right and give your fullest, its likely that you will be disappointed. Trying to reach perfection, you’re mostly more than a 100% ready, which is to say about 120% or 130% work of what you would actually need. You’ve done your best and you’ve overflowed the mark that you needed and now you are sure the outcome will be desirable.…and when it doesn’t, unfortunately, you go in a shock and recoil. Add to that, since you are overworked you have lesser bandwidth to deal with any new direction, you are exhausted.
When you show up 80% prepared, you well know that you’re not trying to get it exactly right. If things don’t go as per plan, you’re prepared. You have the bandwidth to listen to what is not working in the moment, absorb it and to change directions.
Getting anything exactly right always depends on multiple factors apart from your efforts, showing up 80% prepared acknowledges that.