Ruthless Grace (IP)

Ruthless Grace is a paradox. Interpretations can include punishment, precision, obsession, forgiveness, compassion, and poise. Applying the expression to teamwork, its opposites include casual clumsiness and conditional forgiveness.

The term matters because casual clumsiness is not attractive in business teamwork. Grace is attractive. Grace is pleasant to the eyes, ears, head, and heart. Grace acknowledges humanity and imperfection.

Every day, the sun ruthlessly and gracefully rises and sets.

Occasional imperfection qualifies for the statistical term “sampling error.” Such errors are forgivable. Repeated imperfection qualifies for the statistical terms “systemic error” and “systematic error.” Over time, these errors are not forgivable. The Elegance methodology ruthlessly fixes systemic, systematic, institutional errors and is obsessed with forgiving and giving grace to sampling, human errors.

Innovation practitioners use the expression “ruthless grace” to convey the combination of ruthlessness toward institutional dysfunction and grace toward human mistakes.