Embrace Your Perfect!

By Steven C. Bilt, CEO Smile Brands, Inc.

We all have different beliefs around perfection. For some, perfection is the ultimate sign of achievement; for others perfection is a subjective benchmark, an elusive idea of success. In business, many leaders have embraced the school of thought that perfection is worth striving for but is rarely obtained. I would argue that perfection is in the definition because overcoming the imperfections is what helps us grow and keeps us fresh as individuals and businesses.

Creating a culture where a traditional definition of perfection is the expectation can have many unintended consequences. It drains resources and creates a stress-driven culture. Everyone feels on edge when perfection is the goal. People begin to fear judgment and don’t take as many risks even when risks can lead to something brilliant. Many of the most prolific people of our time have failed time and again. In fact, failure is what leads to discovery.

Did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci took over 4 years to paint the Mona Lisa? His journals and biographer Vasari documented the painter’s frustrations in creating one of the world’s most well-known works of art. He even took a break from painting the Mona Lisa altogether to take on engineering projects. When he came back to the Mona Lisa, he had discovered something new about horizons and perspective which he incorporated into the painting, giving it its signature aesthetic. The adversity Da Vinci faced led him to incredible innovation and provided that unique quality that many people throughout history have at times described as perfect.

What we can learn from history is that we need to be okay with not getting it right, right away. Workplace cultures that embrace failure and imperfection are the ones that have a long-game strategy. Remember that viral internet posting of a drawing showing that success is anything but a straight line? There is a lot of truth in that visual image of success.

What matters most is adopting an attitude that it is acceptable to course-correct. Perhaps even defining “perfection” as the rapid course corrections that enable you to build on the learning and overcome obstacles (existing “failures”.) Being resilient, to keep getting back up when you’ve been knocked down three, four, five times, is one of the greatest skills we can possess and teach others to embrace.

If we shift our belief system around perfection, what would a perfect year in business look like?

It would not be traditionally perfect at all because the goal of the human experience is not perfect. The perfect life experience is not an uninterrupted stream of perfect days. It’s a whole series of events that includes challenges to overcome and victories to celebrate. To quote another prolific artist, Van Gogh said, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

2017 was the most perfect year of my career, but not because everything went just as planned. We missed revenue targets in the first quarter, took longer than expected to fill some key positions, and then were hit by Hurricanes Harvey and Maria which rocked thousands of lives and closed most of our offices in Houston and Florida. We encountered serious speed bumps on the road to perfection but discovered power in adversity as our teams united to find ways to move forward and keep focused on our purpose, “Smiles for Everyone!” 

The most important lessons are often learned after we come off the other side of a challenge. It is time we help each other adopt this new perspective on perfection. As leaders we must model it for our employees. Make it an authentic trait of our culture.

When we think about perfection as operators of a business, we need to analyze our reactions when things don’t go as planned. Instead of asking ourselves, “Why me?” we need to lean into challenges, visualize the positive outcome. It is our ability to embrace and overcome those challenges that makes our story perfect. Without them it would just be boring and completely undifferentiated!

Going back to art, I now think of perfection like a mosaic. For anyone unfamiliar with the type of art, a mosaic is made from a bunch of tiny elements. It kind of looks like a mess when viewed up close. However, when you step back to gain a broader perspective, you can see something beautiful a complete picture…perhaps even something that looks perfect.

Whether you are in an organization comprised of many units and various teams across time zones, or all in the same building it can be difficult to manage through the imperfections. It’s worth it. Give yourself permission to pause and evaluate. Don’t get caught up in being perfect. Take the setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow as a team. Then in those times of reflection you can clearly see that you have been wildly successful or identify the opportunities to understand what you can do better. Either way, adopting this new view on perfection is a strategy that will foster a culture of authenticity and long-term organization well-being.

#CelebrateEverydayMiracles