Our performance keeps getting evaluated, criticized, corrected, and rewarded: at home and at work. We keep striving to achieve specific standards and expectations. Many workplaces expect the employees to improve their performance. Performance improvement sometimes means accomplishing more in less time. In sales, performance improvement means breaking the previous year’s numbers.
When we’re hurting and when we aim for belonging and acceptance at work, we reach for what we perceive to provide us with the most protection and that is perfectionism. On an organizational level, perfectionism is triggered by a “Never-Enough” mindset; a scarcity mentality that is intertwined with lack. It becomes problematic at the workplace as it can eventually lead to burnout and disengagement. As leaders and team members, we must be mindful of how our expectations and actions can create a dynamic of perfectionism. We must pay close attention to the workplace culture that we’re either promoting or are a part of:
Is it an environment of shame, comparison, or intimidation:
Shame
Are people managed through the fear of being ridiculed and belittled? Are we linking people’s worth to their productivity and compliance? Have finger-pointing and blaming become the norm around the office?
Comparison
Are we holding individuals and teams to the same old narrow standards or celebrating them for their unique gifts and contributions?
Intimidation
Have we created a negative atmosphere, constantly using threats to get people to do what we want?
If one or more of the issues listed above sound familiar around your office, it’s time to take actionable steps towards change within your organization:
1. Re-Evaluate Your Standards
Make a list of standards held by you or your corporation that get in the way, slow you and your work down or disturb the team. Evaluate these standards and determine the costs and benefits of relaxing particular standards or rules. Relax or remove the unhelpful and limiting ones as much as possible.
2. Delegate More Work
You don’t need to do everything yourself to make sure things are done perfectly. Practice to trust that others can do the work properly too. This approach encourages trust within the team and creates a collaborative environment. To excel as a leader, it is essential to demonstrate confidence in team members’ abilities to handle delegated tasks with more autonomy.
Put Controls in Place Rather than Micromanage
Maintain overall accountability for the outcomes rather than checking every little task and step.
Capitalize on Team Members' Interests and Potential
Delegate work according to everyone’s specific interests, gifts, and capabilities to achieve delegation success.
Encourage Feedback
Create an environment of open communication and encourage the
team to ask questions and provide peer-to-peer, top-down and bottom-up feedback.
3. Transfer Your Skill to the Team
Your strengths can become the bottleneck, impeding progress within the organization. Hence, it is important that you transfer your skills to the other team members in a more intentional manner. This can be done through directly mentoring your team or providing opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and skill development.
4. Take Time Off
For a lot of us, work comes before vacations, spending time with friends and family, exercising, eating well, and taking time off for ourselves. All to make sure we can create more perfect outcomes at work. In the end, we become less productive, and feel unfulfilled. The constant overwork results in feeling restless and agitated, loss of appetite or overeating, a depressed mood, poor concentration and feeling worthless. Whether you choose to stay home or go on vacation, taking time off helps rejuvenate your body and mind. You’ll be surprised at the renewed energy, better focus, and enhanced productivity.
5. Break the Cycle of Overthinking
Perfectionism is fueled by an overthinking mindset. People who cling to a thought or a problem without seeking to find a meaningful resolution create an unhealthy and unproductive environment for themselves and others. Seek a diversion from negative thoughts and think positively to learn from experiences and keep yourself and the team from “spinning the wheels”.
6. Get Comfortable with Less-Than-Perfect Methods and Outcomes
You don’t always have to wait to start something unless you know exactly what the steps are. Give yourself permission to try new ways of thinking and executing things without knowing that everything would be great. Seek support and perspective and focus on the big picture rather than the fine details.
7. Measure, Measure, Measure
If perfectionism is a problem for you, chances are that the high standards you hold for yourself, or others are long-standing and deeply ingrained. Strive to make changes. No matter how small or seemingly insignificant the change initiatives, they do make a difference in the end. As you shift away from a perfectionism mentality, ensure to observe, and measure the impact at every step. Amplify your efforts in areas where you see positive effects and let go of the ones that are holding you back or yielding no benefits.
During times of high workload and stress, it is critical to keep your perfectionism in check. A progress over perfection mindset models adaptive and resilient behaviors within the organization to create a more productive and positive working environment.
