Employees want to do their best, but those efforts could actually backfire if that tips into a need to be perfect.
"There's a difference between doing a good job and pushing that too far into perfectionism," says Kate Leismer, certified coach at CoachHub. "If it becomes obsessive, if you can't let go and finish something or say it's done, those are a few indicators."
The desire to be perfect can actually have the opposite effect, Leismer says. Perfectionists often miss deadlines, procrastinate or give up, which can signal to a leader they're not trying hard enough. The endless cycle can lead to high stress and
Read more:
"In some ways, perfectionism will prevent you from any success at all, because you would be afraid to take risks or fail or not succeed in the most perfect way," she says. "But there is no perfect way — any person who is successful will tell all the ways that they had to fail to get there. So we all have to be willing to be imperfect to get ahead."
Those dealing with perfectionistic tendencies should work to be "good enough," though this will require a mindset shift, Leismer says. Because perfectionism is often based out of a fear of failure, insecurity or trauma, it's important to start practicing some self-awareness.
"At the most basic level, we all want to be valued and respected for what we do. If we already don't feel good enough, that's going to kickstart our perfectionism," she says. "It really starts with self-awareness — what emotions are coming up around our work? How do you feel about what you do? Working on our self worth can help to prevent these feelings of having to be a perfectionist."
Read more:
Leaders can play a role in helping employees with this process. Encouraging employees to be good enough doesn't mean accepting less-than stellar work. Rather, it's setting realistic standards, checking in with employees, and then
"Two things can be true: we can be working hard and producing good enough results without being a perfectionist," Leismer says. "It's really important to establish a trusting relationship between a manager and an employee. Having a manager who is understanding of errors and mistakes gives employees the ability to fail and try again."
This process is beneficial for all employees, and will improve leadership and
"Perfectionism is coming from a place of insecurity — it's coming from a feeling of lack," she says. "It's so necessary to create an environment of safety where a person is free to ask for help and get the support they need."
Read more:
As a perfectionist herself, Leismer says when she notices habits like procrastination or stress popping up around her work, she talks it through with her manager, and confronts those negative narratives she may be telling herself. That vulnerability helps her move forward in a healthier way, with the support from her employer backing her up.
"If I'm working on something and I'm not feeling good enough, or I'm scared of what someone will think, I can say, ok, I'm having these feelings. I can talk to my team lead, I can voice those insecurities," she says. "I did that with my manager and I got that reassurance. They said, 'you can totally do this, let us know how we can support you.' That felt really good."
