Perfectionism
Perfectionism may be a noble cause, but it’s not as liberating (for all concerned) as excellence. Excellence is fit for purpose, and has an attitude of grace, sufficient to cover minor details of how one would do it differently. Tick-box controlling cultures unfortunately don’t lead to getting things done in the most efficient ways. Concept is more important than detail. We just have to determine and perhaps painfully negotiate at what point the definition of the detail becomes more important than the initial concept.
The drive to make things “perfect” means you have to live up to an unrealistic standard. Trust is hard to come by if you are following perfectionism. The only way then comes up to know work is being done up to par is simply to do it ourselves. At times we forget to distinguish between what’s really important and what’s not. It ALL has to be perfect. “Good enough” is never okay even for the small, trivial stuff.
Its not that I don’t favour being perfect but I have had a good experience of dealing with perfectionist and that is why I agree with the above. Being with a perfectionist means you may often feel like you’re being subjected to a special kind of torture. But keep in mind: It’s not you. It’s them. The critical eye with which they look at you and your work also points right back to them. They see everything as imperfect and that’s a painful way to live. Most perfectionists recognise it’s a problem, but still have a hard time setting aside those instincts. So just remind yourself that YOU aren’t the problem.
Perhaps there can be some peace around by establishing priorities by discussing the broader impacts of the project at hand instead of lumping everything into one pile. Compare it to other Task and rank its importance. In relation to the other tasks on the to-do list, is the time it takes to fix this issue really worthwhile? Sometimes, the answer will clearly be, “Yes, it’s worth it.” Other times, it really won’t matter and you can move on, letting the slightly fuzzy image go by unnoticed.
At the end of the day, perfectionists only want to do their very best. And they want the same from everyone around them. Irritating as it may be, it’s still a noble cause!
