The pitfalls of perfectionism

Perfection can be a standard that most companies aim for, but once it becomes the only standard accepted within the company, this is when it becomes unhealthy. When you set perfection as the standard for all of your employees’ objectives, you are placing unnecessary pressure on your people. You stand in the way of them trying new things, taking risks, and making mistakes. The necessity of self-acceptance becomes impossible and this lack of acceptance is used as a standard for others’ performance as well. Akhtaboot is here to highlight the pitfalls of perfectionism and how it may be holding you back at work.

Perfectionism Stops you From Taking Risks

Being a perfectionist is not as glamourous as it appears to be. It can keep you stuck in your comfort zone and stops you from taking risks. Risks are a necessary part of growing and improving. That’s why it’s important to always push yourself to go above and beyond your limits even if you end up making mistakes. This is the only way to discover new information about yourself and things you never thought you were capable of doing. It is never easy to break free from being a perfectionist, but you need to be willing to take risks and not worry so much about what other people might think.

Perfectionists Tend to be Micromanagers

Perfectionists feel a need to focus on minor details as opposed to the big picture and they hesitate to encourage their employees to take the initiative. Often perfectionists thrive in bureaucratic companies because they feel very comfortable with having control over all aspects of work life. But Micromanagement is an obsolete leadership style that is all about trying to observe and control all aspects of your employees’ work. Most employees become timid and hesitant and possibly even paralyzed in such environments. You need to free people from boxes if you want their creativity to be unleashed. You can still pay close attention to details without being a control freak.

Perfectionists Find It Hard to Adapt to Change

Perfectionists tend to find it difficult to adapt to change, and have a low tolerance or understanding of other people’s points of view. They believe that their way of doing things – and only their way – is the best. For business to be successful, for leadership to be visionary, you must learn some new techniques that will spark creativity and force you to think creatively. But when you are stuck in perfect, that process can’t even begin. Perfectionism often stems from the belief that you can avoid mistakes by doing everything right, but it’s only a temporary shield at best.

Perfectionists Have Unrealistic Expectations

Perfectionists have unrealistic expectations of themselves. They will often expect excellence of others too. This might sound rational, but setting unattainable goals creates a culture of failure and will destroy your employee morale. After all, no one is perfect, although perfectionists do their best to come close. Perfectionists can be difficult to work with if you aren’t always up to the task, but this can be controlled early on by managing their expectations. Great managers know that perfectionists are motivated by achieving challenging goals on a regular basis, that’s why they need to always make sure that all goals are specific, attainable and time bound so that they don’t get caught up in unnecessary details.