One of my favorite sayings is: “Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two.”  It’s something most associated with design and is a pithy way of saying ‘Please respect what we do.’  But it could go for just about any creative or production job.  It makes a great venn diagram too. I particularly like this version which adds ‘free’ as an option as well:

All you need to know.

Another one of my favorite quotes comes from noted author/journalist, A.J. Liebling, who said:

“I can write better than anybody who can write faster, and I can write faster than anybody who can write better.”

Thinking about these quotes the other day, it occurred to me that the former deals with absolutes while the latter has more wiggle room. Liebling, in this one line, has positioned himself as a solution to a problem, and a flexible solution at that.

But really, in order to get the flexibility of the solution, it might be better expressed as:

The notion of faster and better has a fluidity that ‘fast’ or ‘best’ does not. It’s not a fixed point, but rather a space in which to manoever. Liebling’s not saying he’s the best or the fastest. That’s not only a difficult standard to uphold, but it’s hard to defend as well. And ultimately, it removes a large part of the customer base from the equation. In a world of wild claims, Liebling’s positioning just sounds more reasonable.

So, is it possible to apply ‘The Rule of Liebling” to the ”Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two.” model? I’d like to believe the answer is ‘yes.’  It would require a change in thinking from the ”Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two.” crowd. It means shifting to a more fluid, flexible business model, dare I say agile? It means accepting that there are many shades of ‘good,’ ‘fast’ and ‘cheap.’

Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of Liebling’s death, yet his style and wisdom remain relevant today. If you don’t know the man of his writing, read this Slate piece, The Church of Liebling from a few years ago.

Tags: A.J. Liebling