In Pursuit of Perfection
“And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”– James 1:4
“Tell me about the track.”
“No, I can’t, PT.”
“Please.”
That exchange started an insightful dialogue in the biographical sports drama movie — Ford v Ferrari.
After giving in to his son’s request, he perused through the drawing of the track, explaining the acceleration, braking and gear change on all the curves, turns and climbs.
Then, he wrapped up the demonstration with my favourite punch line.
“[That’s] Your first three and a half minutes in 24 hours.” — Ken Miles
“But. You can’t. make every lap. Perfect.” — Peter
But I could try.
That is how Ken Miles became a legend in the only 24-hour motorcar race in the world — the Le Mans, France.
Motorsport Magazine said this about Ken Miles:
“Until Ford v Ferrari, Ken Miles was the unsung mastermind of Ford’s 1966 Le Mans victory.” Ken Miles was a “World War II veteran turned legendary race driver and car developer.” He is credited with developing the Ford GT40 and the Shelby Cobra.
I am not a motorsport enthusiast, but Christian Bale’s portrayal of Ken Miles drew me into this movie. This past Saturday was my third viewing of this biographical epic, which is packed with profound lessons about resilience, ambition, vision, and leadership.
The portrayal of Ken Miles’ life in this movie reframed my paradigm about perfection.
He built his reputation because of his impeccable eye for detail, unwavering focus on a goal, and insatiable desire to develop the perfect race car. How he tested, tuned, and retuned his cars until they were perfect made me reframe an important paradigm about perfection.
Until Ford v Ferrari, I held the notion that progress is more important than perfection in our pursuit of success.
My new paradigm is this: progress aiming for perfection leads to success. This is not the same as being a perfectionist. It is a philosophy of continuous improvement.
Ken Miles studied and meticulously inspected every track before racing on them. He used a crack on the Le Mans track as a marker to remind himself when to change gears.
Sitting on the tarmac and staring down the track with his son, Peter, Ken said:
“Look out there. Out there is the perfect lap. No mistakes, every gear change, every corner — perfect. You see it?”
To which Peter replies. “I think so.”
“Most people can’t. Most people don’t even know it’s out there. But it is. It’s there.
What is the “perfect lap” in your career, business or relationship?
Every interview, every report, every investment and every conversation — perfect.
Do you see it? Do you even know it’s out there?
You might not get it perfect every time. But you could try.
