The Risk of Being Perfect

Striving for perfection can cloud your judgment. Remember that GEICO commercial where the horror movie characters make predictably poor decisions? One of my clients, whom I will call Betsy, is a senior level executive in a technology company and has always prided herself on striving for perfection.  This strategy has helped her move from being a successful programmer to a leader who now oversees several functions.Betsy and her boss Dave, the division's president, have worked together fairly effectively, delivering strong financial returns.  Dave thinks the results could be stronger. Betsy respects Dave and enjoys working with him. But Betsy feels Dave doesn’t always understand where she is coming from. Betsy believes there are just not enough hours in the day to do everything well.Dave is frustrated at times with Betsy as she can take what seems to him a very long time to get some things done.  Recently, for example, he asked her to review the compensation plan for a group of employees she supervises; it has been months and she is still working on it.  Dave wonders, what is taking so long? They have even hired a few more people to reduce her work load. He wanted her to review the current plan and figure out what needs improvement and make recommendations for what to change now and in the future.  He is beginning to question her judgment.Betsy, on the other hand, has found that, as she reviews this compensation plan, numerous serious issues have emerged.  Every time she thinks it is finished, she finds something else.  Sadly, she realizes the old plan needs a complete overhaul.  Plus, she has to squeeze reviewing this document in between the 50 million other tasks she is working on.  Betsy believes that she will impress her boss with her comprehensive review.As Betsy's coach, I share that I have spoken with Dave as part of our monthly check-ins, and that he has expressed frustration with her slow rate of work and is beginning to question her judgment. Betsy looks exasperated and can’t believe what she is hearing.  I ask Betsy: did she and Dave ever agree on a definition of winning?  Betsy says no. She understood that her boss wanted her to do the best job possible of reviewing the compensation plan and to come back with recommendations on what could be fixed for this year’s compensation and in the future.  She had informed Dave that the plan was a mess and there was a lot to fix.  Every time Dave’s response was: is there anything he could do to help her? She always said no, that she has everything under control.The problem, from my perspective, is that she is aiming for perfection and her boss’s definition of winning is not perfection. Rather, winning for Dave means the project gets done faster rather than perfectly.  In addition, Betsy doesn’t want to ask for help as she believes that will make her look weak. Dave believes he is trying to be a good boss by asking if he can take something off her plate.  Betsy's judgment is clouded by her striving for perfection, and she can’t see that her boss is beginning to wonder if she can really handle being a senior executive.

This is the key challenge for perfectionists. Perfection is tough to achieve and can take a long time, which is not always desirable or ideal.  One of the most important things a perfectionist needs to learn is – what does the BIG WIN look like? The BIG WIN involves gaining agreement on what the conditions are that will satisfy both the individual and their key stakeholders.  This reduces anxiety and provides clarity that will increase productivity and effectiveness.  Dave’s idea of a BIG WIN had always been that only a few changes would be made to the compensation plan this year, and other reforms could be made in the future. Once Betsy realized that there was a lack of agreement on the final goal, she was able to clear it up with her boss and complete the project.This is a core habit that can help you learn to take smart risks more comfortably.  How do you define a BIG WIN? What do your clients, boss, husband, or key stakeholders care about? How do they define winning?  See if answering these questions will let you avoid making the choice, like in the GEICO ad, of hiding from the killer by running right under the chainsaws! How do you walk the fine line between perfection and winning?Also, if you want to join a group that will support you in breaking your perfectionist tendencies and get comfortable taking smart risks, please consider enrolling in my upcoming virtual pilot group training and coaching program for a new book that I am writing! I am looking for 8 to 10 people who call themselves perfectionists. This pilot will run for 4-6 weeks beginning in January 2015, on a sliding scale fee. If you are interested, just send me a message so I can send you a brief application to complete. If you are chosen, the next step in preparation would be a 30 minute phone interview to determine if this is right for you. Looking forward to hearing from you!