Inventing Is Messy: Why High Standards Are Contagious in Teams

The editorial staff of the school paper was divided: half complained that their features never got picked up by city news, while a couple of editors painstakingly rewrote stories, sometimes for hours, until the result shined. One night, a deadline looming, Maya shared her first draft—a meandering piece about the new cafeteria—and asked for feedback. After reading, the senior editor grinned: 'You’re halfway there, but let’s look at your ending. Would you be happy if this was on the school bulletin board for years?' Maya shook her head. Together, they recrafted the piece, sentence by sentence. She was surprised how much better her story sounded after edits, even if it took multiple late nights and she missed a few early morning alarms.

Later that month, Maya’s story got cited by a local website. She realized that high standards were not about talent, but exposure—seeing what great really looked like and learning that it always required more work than she expected. She paid it forward, offering feedback to two freshmen writers. Soon, quality spread across the staff. The process was slow, even frustrating, but the results became unmistakable and motivated everyone.

Research on high-performing organizations shows that standards are domain-specific and learned through exposure and practice—not just talent. Teams that share and teach realistic expectations about the effort behind high quality become more resilient, creative, and fun to work in.

Seek out those in your field or community who consistently deliver exceptional work, and be bold about asking for feedback or reviewing their process. Resist the urge to expect mastery too quickly, instead paying attention to how many drafts, practices, and honest critiques even the best require. If you’re leading or mentoring, share these truths with your peers or juniors, helping them build stamina and clarity about what real quality looks like. Give yourself and your team the space—and time—to push past 'good enough' and experience the satisfaction of true craftsmanship. Go for one round of feedback this week, and see what shifts.