Going It Alone

Frustration often compels us to conclude that "if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

There's only one problem with this line of thinking: competence doesn't scale.

Or at the very least, it only scales up to a point. Sure: if you're intelligent and talented, you're probably the best person for the job. Maybe even jobs. But there will come a point when, juggling so many things at once, the wheels will simply start coming off.

Economists call it diminishing returns. But perhaps it's merely the all-too-often taken for granted corollary of going it alone: "if you want something done wrong, do everything only by yourself."