Jennifer Lawrence, Salesforce, and Gender Pay Equity; Maybe your Good-Enough is Ok (Spectre vs. Skyfall)

Some quick misc. observations before a schedule-filled day…

Thought #1 — There seems to be a genuine movement toward more equal pay – this is a good thing.

I keep reading about signs of progress. The CEO of Salesforce is moving his entire company to genuine equal pay for all women, matching women’s pay with the pay of men. The data is now available to make this possible, and in one fell swoop, he has mandated the pay raise. It is costing money, but I bet, in the long run, it will not be a cost, but an investment.

And, Jennifer Lawrence has become quite the spokesperson for equal pay in Hollywood, a place rather notorious for not paying equally.

And, by the way, the lack of transparency for the unequal pay was made public for all by the Sony hack…

Thought #2 – Are we too enamored to “the next has to be better than the one before?”

This one is a little tougher. I am a fan of the constant improvement movement. I think each time we do anything, we should aim for “better than the last time.” But sometimes, we are nearly “spent” with our last effort, and we can’t quite make the next one better.

So, yes, each iPhone is better than the last, even if only a little better…

But, some reviewers are not happy that Spectre is not as good as the very great Skyfall. (I did love Skyfall; have not yet seen Spectre).

But, here’s my thought. I’ve got a hunch I will like Spectre just fine. Isn’t it just a little unrealistic that we can top the very best we have ever done every time we work/perform/create?

I love the Nero Wolfe novels by Rex Stout. I re-read them every few years. Some of them are close to masterpieces. Others are just…so-so. But even the so-so ones are enjoyable. I like Archie Goodwin. I’m intrigued by Nero Wolfe. I enjoy the work of Saul Panzer. Really, I like the whole cast of characters created by Rex Stout. The characters make the reading enjoyable. Yes, there are some of his novels much better than others. But I enjoy them all.

And, I think this current version of James Bond is enjoyable enough that I can enjoy a less-than-Skyfall edition of the series. (I admit it – I even enjoyed Quantum of Solace). The fact that I acknowledge that Skyfall is the best does not mean that I can’t enjoy the less-than-the-best.

I face this each month. Some business books are great; some are good; many are closer to just ok. But, if I think I can find something useful in each one, you know what? – I usually do.

Okay… have a productive day. Try to make it better than yesterday. But, at least do something productive.

And when you have your best, most productive day ever – rejoice. And then, get back out there, and do something productive with your next, not-quite-as-great day also.