Dealing with Perfectionist's on your Team - the Scott Taylor "98" Rule.

Never happy, incessant nitpicker, workaholic, hyper critical, over conscientious, unreasonable, control freak, inflexible, micromanager, stickler for rules, know it all perfectionists.... we all know one... or two. But have you got the tools to deal with them?

(They are spell and grammar checking this article already).

Detail oriented perfectionists who cling to procedures and rules can produce some incredibly high quality work and are diligent workers who hold themselves, and others, to very high standards. They continually strive for excellence in all they do and are insistent on driving up quality. That's the good side!

They can also however, be sometimes overly critical, set unrealistic standards and when under pressure, that same quality can be detrimental to their overall performance and can in turn, negatively affect the performance of your team. That extreme polarised focus on the intricate details of the work at hand can also cause them to lose focus on the overall goals of a project and instead, place their attention on less important items. They can spend too much time working on a single task or item until it meets their individual standards and often, are hesitant to ask for help from others which means they miss out on gaining other perspectives and also the needed support to complete a project by deadline or within budget.

There is of course, time and a place for a perfectionist approach. Should I be going in for open heart surgery or some other delicate brain related operation, I would obviously much prefer the surgeon to be meticulous and detail oriented. But in today's dynamic, fluid and fast paced environment, there is also a time to "let go"and do a "98".

The driving force behind perfectionism can be due to craving the approval of others, a fear of letting others down or letting themselves down and also potentially from a feeling of superiority and individuals with these traits can also believe they will be valued only if they produce nothing less than perfect work. If they cannot do something perfectly, they would rather not do it at all. The key here is to identify and harness the upsides of perfectionism whilst providing the necessary mentoring and support to help eliminate the negative aspects.

Perfectionist's can often have trouble prioritising their work and as such, need proper coaching on effective delegation and follow up techniques. This includes delegation protocols and the soft skills that go with it. Often they can be hesitant in delegating due to possessing a fear that the other team member will not do as good a job as they would or that the other team member has not got the requisite knowledge and experience. "If you want something done right.. do it yourself" can be their motto. This can cause a rift with teams and also, removes opportunities for other team members to develop and grow and as such, it needs to be managed carefully and with a structured approach.

Perfectionist's benefit from learning the 98 rule. I use this as a clear indicator on a task to articulate the fact that this item needs to be actioned and closed off more rapidly and to reiterate the fact that meeting the deadline is more important than ensuring absolute perfection. 98 obviously refers to the work being "98%" perfect.

This 98 rule also needs to be further supported by clearly articulating what the final outcome/end result should look and feel like for a project or task and working with them to ensure they understand it e.g. "I just need one page of summary bullet points".

As a leader, ensure you support this further by ensuring you also provide open praise for items that are 98% when that is what is required. I also further believe that providing some specific education with relation to empathy can be of benefit in these situations as perfectionist's are often not aware the implications their approach and actions have on others. It helps for them to understand how their style affects the overall performance and dynamic of the team.

Perfectionism and work addiction can go hand in hand and continual perfection is just not realistic and this important learning outcome is not often palatable to them. It is also really important as a leader to monitor your team members with perfectionist traits as they are often the team members susceptible to "burn out" so watch for the indicators here.

I hope you find this of benefit. Please share your feedback in the comments.