First Quarter 2015- Issue 19
Note from Coach Mario- At the End of the Day- “The Cost of Perfection”
“Be the Best You Can Be!” This does not mean being perfect because Perfection does not equal Excellence. This also does not mean that quality is being compromised either. As a transformational leader, one still has to be results-minded. However, how you get the result is more important than just getting the result. Sustained performance over time is achieved through Performance Excellence NOT Perfect Performance. Let’s explore this distinction:
Definition of Excellence: When performance is exceptionally good with extremely high quality, superiority and extreme merit.
Definition of Perfection: When performance cannot be improved it is flawless or free from fault or defect.
On the surface these terms sound familiar. However, underneath the surface there is a toll taking place on the perfectionist. It starts with never being satisfied. As author Jim Conway writes, “If you can’t accept any good things that people say of you, then even if you do great things your accomplishments will not satisfy that insatiable, gulping appetite of perfectionism.” This can set the stage for significant dissatisfaction within one’s self and from those around one. Conway continues, “Tragically, perfectionists think other people will like them better for their perfection. But truthfully, it is just the opposite. People like to be around flexible, tolerant, imperfect people– like themselves. Perfect people frighten them and cause them to withdraw.”
The cost of perfection include but are not limited to:
- Missed opportunities
- Unnecessary resource utilization and exhaustion
- Higher stress levels
Getting mired in the details of perfection can cause one to miss opportunities that excellent performance can see and seize. Excellent performance is one where the goal or end state is always the main point and in clear sight. Perfectionism can get one so focused on details, maybe even distractions of key resources (where costs may even exceed the benefits), which may only indirectly relate to the desired end state and quite likely, may completely miss the main point. When you relate stress levels to perfection and then to excellence, one is more likely to achieve and even exceed one’s goals or targeted expectations by being in a state of flow where performance excellence emanates from the fulfillment of the work being done with more good stress than bad stress being produced. Focusing on forcing every detail to be perfect can drive the bad stress up, undermining the joy of fulfillment and also of maybe even achieving the main point, goal or end state.
As a transformational leader, Idealized Influence is a critical element of such leadership where being a role model is the essence. Demonstrating that the goal is centered on excellence and not perfectionism can help create a powerful culture that is rooted in empowerment, successes and failures that allow for learning, growing, developing and sustaining excellent performance. On being the best you can be, focus on Performance Excellence and not run the risk of burning out with Perfect Performance.
— Mario Flores
Mario Flores. All Rights Reserved. No part of these materials may be reproduced in any form without written permission.
