Progress over Perfection
I am a recovering perfectionist. There are many plausible explanations about how I came to be a perfectionist: but I'm going with birth order in a chaotic childhood. I'm the oldest of five and a daughter at that. My inner Hermione Granger [Editor's note: Are we still using HP analogies? Rowling is problematic. Response: It's either that or Nellie Olson, and that's a carbon dating we don’t need to own today)…. My inner Hermione Granger ran the show throughout my childhood and into my early 30s, painting pictures of great peril and humiliation if my work product, contributions to meetings, or responses to emails were anything less than 100 percent.
As I got older and the stakes got higher, I found myself declining to participate if I couldn't be perfect--passing on opportunities to learn, try new things or grow in my personal and professional pursuits. I was still ambitious and pretty successful, but I really believe I thwarted my potential in those years as a result. Thanks to a bunch of coaching and a little therapy, I came to appreciate that there's really no such thing as perfect, and that progress is a better measure of success--not only for my mental health, but for my overall productivity.
Perfectionism isn't all bad. It has its advantages. Striving for perfect has a very real benefit as a strategy to keep us safe. We believe that perfect work product will save us from scrutiny, censure and embarrassment. It can remind us not to get complacent, to always try to improve. The downside, of course, is that striving for perfection is time-consuming, motivation-sapping and quite frankly nearly always fruitless, because perfect is usually an illusion - unattainable as a practical outcome. And while perfectionism stems from insecurity - it can also perpetuate that insecurity as we find ourselves in a constant cycle of second guessing and analysis paralysis.
If you struggle with perfectionism, this HBR article is a solid read that talks about the cost/benefit analysis of perfectionism and offers a few great tips to combat the tendency. Highly recommend.
For leaders (note: leader is not a title or position - we're all leaders in our families, communities, and teams) unchecked individual perfectionism becomes magnified in our impact on others. High standards are important in any group project, particularly in business. And striving to meet lofty goals with high standards can be motivating and exhilarating (don't forget to celebrate!). But those goals and standards must be with in reach or they become demotivating, erode trust and create fear. And let's face it - perfection is not actually that inspiring. You drive yourself and your team to get "there" and then what?
What's more inspiring is progress. Looking in the rear view mirror now and again can be a great motivator when there's still a lot road ahead. A focus on progress allows leaders to deliver feedback, develop talent, shift gears with new innovations, steer through changing market conditions [Editor's note: you're torturing the automotive metaphor. Response: It just came out like that. I'm working with what I've got - progress not perfection], and a focus on progress allows leaders to step on the gas at the right time to optimize success.
Who wants to be perfect anyway? What are you going to do then - install yourself in a museum? It's much more fun and human to grow, make mistakes and progress!
How do you measure performance? Are the standards you set attainable and inspiring? Do you demand perfection or do you celebrate progress? I’d love to hear your comments!