Are you a perfectionist? Many of us are! Perfectionism can help to keep us motivated, work harder, and achieve more, but will it always help your performance or can it hinder you too? If you find yourself focusing too much on getting the perfect outcome or debating and changing things repeatedly, then you may be walking the line of extreme perfectionism. This can lead to wasted time and resources, especially if you are managing people. In the end, the end result doesn’t justify the effort and stress it can cause. Here are some good ways to keep yourself out of the net of extreme perfectionism.
Make a Decision and Stick to it
You make good decisions; that's the reason you're managing the projects you are working on. So when you make a decision, stick to it. Try not to second-guess yourself - this just wastes time. Who’s to say your fourth or fifth decision will be any better or beneficial? If you start that second-guessing game, it can spiral out of control!
Trus t your Employees
When you unveil your plan to your employees they will inevitably have opinions. Pay attention to what they have to say! If they tell you it’s a good idea, trust them. This will keep you from falling into the questioning game. Also, their skills are your resources, so trust them to execute their part of the plan well. You hired them because you trust their stills, right? And lastly, before getting settled into your plan be sure you…
Have a Plan B
You never know what’s going to happen! A hurdle may arise that cannot be overcome, so make sure you have a plan B. A backup plan can help you from getting entrenched to deeply in your first plan and devastated if things go wrong. The more flexible and ready for change you are, the easier it is to adapt to things life throws at you.
Having a critical eye and a touch of perfectionism can help you execute top quality offerings. However, it can quickly become detrimental to your business if you don’t stay flexible. If you find yourself caught up in perfectionism, use the steps I’ve outlined above.
Leave a comment!