3 Ways Being a Perfectionist Can Hurt
Your Success at Work
Perfection is subjective. That means, whatever
is perfect to me, might not be perfect to you and so on and so forth. Thinking
that you have to be perfect at anything in life is not only a barrier to your
goals and life fulfillment, but you have directly set yourself up for failure
as you spend your days chasing something that doesn’t exist. Having a
perfection mindset for yourself and your life has its repercussions and can
hinder your success in the workforce.
Here are 3 ways that Perfection hinders success
at work and the Fix to overcome this Barrier:
Perfection decreases confidence
As you set out to chase something that does not
exist you will find that there are many more failures than successes.
Highlighting all the times you almost
completed a project “perfectly” isn’t as confidence boosting as “I nailed it!”
Your perceptions and self-talk play a huge role in the level of confidence you
have and maintain on a day to day basis.
Often, a perfectionist will complete a project
and right before it is about to be completed, they tweak it again and again.
Nothing is good enough. When the time limit of a task has been met, a
perfectionist will find that multiple people compliment them on their work, but
they don’t feel that it was “their best.”
When you don’t take time to absorb your
successes, you are missing an opportunity to build your confidence. Confidence
is what you need to hurdle to the next level of your career, what you need to
take healthy risks on bigger more meaningful projects, and to speak up in
meetings, interviews, and leadership roles.
The Fix: During projects, talk nice
to yourself. Allow yourself to make mistakes, and then get back on track. When
projects are completed, before jumping on the next bandwagon of to-do’s,
celebrate your successes. You can celebrate by sharing in your success with
others who compliment you, with loved ones outside of work or even in your
journal quietly to yourself. In fact, I encourage clients to keep a journal of
their successes so they can reflect on how much they have achieved year after
year.
Perfection burns bridges
Perfectionists often hold the world accountable
to this faulty mindset, not just themselves. In the workforce you may find that
you don’t often delegate tasks out because “Tom doesn’t do it as well as I do”,
or “It’ll just be quicker if I do it.” People notice this behavior. When you
give off the perception that only you do things well, you show a certain
character side of yourself that many people (co-workers and bosses) may not
like. In addition, your support lines at work may not want to assist you when
you really end up needing them because they will fear that if they don’t do a
task as “perfectly as you,” it will upset you. So, they either avoid you
altogether or refuse when you ask for help.
The Fix:
Believe in your team. They may have some very
creative or insightful ways of doing something that you never thought of. This
new found open mind may generate new doors for you and your team on production,
efficiency and bonding. Also, use supports and resources. As perfectionists, we
get in a habit of portraying that we can do everything and do it well. But the
truth is, this is exhausting and not always true. Instead, begin creating a new
reputation today of someone that isn’t to prideful or perfect to ask for help.
Perfection keeps too much on your plate
As we discussed, a perfectionist often holds
the world accountable to this mindset, too. Thus before we know it, as we hoard
all the tasks because “no one does it like me” we find ourselves with a bunch a
to-do’s on our plate. These tasks are often tedious, minuscule or not on path
with our goals and bigger dreams. So, if you want to add something major to
your agenda that would make you shine, you can’t put that on your plate because
it is consumed with a bunch of littler roles. Should a perfectionist finally
succumb to delegating out the smaller tasks, they end up turning into the ever
hated, micro manager!
The Fix: Create a list of your goals,
direction and dreams in your career. What tasks are currently on your plate
that significantly align with that bigger goal? Reflect on what you can
delegate out, and do that ASAP. Now, assess what roles or projects you should
add on to your plate in order to shine, build credibility, or demonstrate
leadership. What you end up choosing to delegate out, be sure that you don’t
leap into the micromanager role. Instead, set checkpoint dates to discuss
progress and goals.
Dr. Jaime Kulaga understands the complexities of women’s lives and helps to increase their self-awareness and self-esteem. She is the advocate of the under-appreciated, over-worked and un-fulfilled woman, dedicated to greatly improving and creating a gratifying, enjoyable life... rather than an unfulfilling existence. As the Author and Founder of the SuperWoman’s Guide to Fulfillment, Dr. Jaime has taught and worked with hundreds of women empowering them to discover their own greatness, and in turn, create a loving and gratifying environment for all those in their lives.
Through teaching at the University level, coaching and counseling individuals, couples, and businesses, she educates women, men and families to make better lifestyle decisions, steer the course of their lives, and use practical tools for deeper fulfillment and happiness.Dr. Jaime is a frequent mental health expert on TV and radio and has been featured on Forbes.com, on Maria Shriver's blog, and in Glamour, Self, and Prevention magazines for her expertise in work-life balance and life fulfillment.
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