One of the commandments that Groupon India operates by is

Value accuracy more than speed and speed more than perfection

In all your actions, accuracy of your work is more important than being the fastest to complete. Or fastest to respond. If you work has errors, it might as well be delayed but 100% accurate.

However, if you continue to make it 100% perfect, you are losing precious time and feedback. Speed is the most important attribute in decision-making and execution. And while it cannot come at the expense of accuracy, it should always come at the expense of perfection.

Back in August 2011, I had come up with this alongwith the other commandments. And this is perhaps the one I am proudest of – so much so that I surprise myself to have come up with this.

There isn’t a single day that goes by when I am not reminded or more convinced of this commandment. Decisions that are delayed, because people think they need more time. Errors crept in because people think responding to the email is more important. Processes not implemented because they are not perfect yet. Sheets of inaccurate data because someone said it has to be done in the next hour.

If there was only 1 advice that I could give to students in order to make them god-awesome professionals – this is it!

Appreciate accuracy, value time and dissociate perfection from accuracy.