The negative side of being a perfectionist
Have you heard someone say, “She is a perfectionist,” and wonder if they mean it as a compliment or a criticism? A perfectionist is someone who refuses to accept anything short of perfection (Dictionary. Com). According to an article on the Walden University website, you are a perfectionist if you’re 1. a perfectionist in all things, 2. an all-or-nothing person, 3. crave approval, 4. feedback makes you defensive, 5. you’re highly critical of others, 6. a big procrastinator, and 7. full of guilt (“7 Signs You’re Too Much of a Perfectionist,” waldenu.edu). No one would argue that striving for mistake-free work is a good thing but when is it not?
Being a perfectionist can prevent others from wanting to work with you. A perfectionist will most likely expect the same from others. When others are not able to meet your unusually high standard, they will feel demoralized and to avoid this feeling, may avoid you. If they are your direct reports, you could lose valuable talent when they look for positions reporting to another manager.
Being a perfectionist may also result in an inability to finish your work on time, causing unnecessary delays. We all know the phrase, “time is money” and work delays may have a negative financial impact. Delays can also mean that you miss opportunities to work on new projects as you are still finishing your old project. Perfectionism could result in negative performance reviews and a lack of career progression.
Most importantly, according to Psychology Today (“Perfection”), being a perfectionist can hurt your mental health. “Perfectionism is a trait that makes life an endless report card on accomplishments or looks. When healthy, it can be self-motivating and drive you to overcome adversity and achieve success. When unhealthy, it can be a fast and enduring track to unhappiness.”
How do you balance your perfectionism tendencies? Early in my career, I had perfectionist tendencies and felt embarrassed and anxious if a work product contained a minor error. I felt I had failed. If your perfectionism is driven by avoiding failure put the idea of failure in perspective. Failure is not making periodic mistakes in your work or the work of others. Know that they will happen, and it is about recognizing, acknowledging, and correcting the mistake that matters.
In the Psychology Today article noted above “Letting go of the comparison mindset can help people achieve at a high level, without being beholden to some impossibly perfect ideal.” The article further suggests doing this by “using compassionate self-talk, and challenging negative self-judgements.” Practically speaking, you can focus on yourself and your work product rather than on others. If others have a skill you admire or have completed an exceptional project rather than feeling less than them, ask them to share how they accomplished it. If it could help you too, incorporate that into your work.
Having high standards is good and will lead to success but don’t fall into the trap of perfectionism as it can hurt your performance and mental well-being.