Perfectionism versus Excellence
It’s easy to assume that people who are at the top of their fields are perfectionists because they don’t ever settle for good enough. But this isn’t true. What makes them stand out isn’t perfection, but knowing which flaws to accept and which to let go.
Their work may appear to be impeccable and their choices extraordinary. They may appear supremely confident, but behind that perfect appearance lie many imperfections that others never see.
The drive to excel is not the same as the drive to perfect; they are two very different things. Excellence is about utilizing your potential, as well as others, to achieve a great outcome. Perfectionism is an obsession that can lead to self-destruction.
If you manage people, your good intentions to unlock your team’s potential by mistaking perfectionism for excellence could be self-destructive.
Adam Grant says, “The more you grow, the better you know which flaws are acceptable.” He goes on to say there are three things that perfectionists tend to get wrong:
They obsess about details that don’t matter. They’re so busy finding the right solution to tiny problems that they lack the discipline to find the right problems to solve. They can’t see the forest for the trees.
They avoid unfamiliar situations and difficult tasks that might lead to failure. That leaves them refining a narrow set of existing skills rather than working to develop new ones.
They berate themselves for making mistakes, which makes it harder to learn from them. They fail to realize that the purpose of reviewing your mistakes isn’t to shame your past self. It’s to educate your future self.
Know when it’s important to push for the best and when to settle for good enough. Learn to accept some flaws that are necessary to move ahead. Make excellence, not perfection, your goal, and your team will have more success along the way.