Perfection & Leadership: Finding Balance

Growing up in a small, rural town in South Texas, I learned early that high standards could be both a source of motivation and a weighty burden. My father, a mayor, and my mother, a longtime catechism teacher, instilled in me the value of hard work, discipline, and striving for excellence. That drive pushed me forward through college, into teaching and coaching, and later into leadership roles in education and business. But as I reflect on my journey and the leaders I’ve worked with, I see how perfectionism, when left unchecked, can hinder growth rather than foster it. It is why I have been studying and researching perfectionism for the past four years.

As an executive coach and consultant, I’ve worked with executives, superintendents, educators, and CEOs who carry the same perfectionist tendencies I once did. Some believe that demanding flawlessness will guarantee success. Others struggle with the fear of failure, keeping them from taking bold action. I witness both of these in the smallest of moments in action. A recent study, The Double-Edged Sword Effects of Leader Perfectionism on Employees' Job Performance: The Moderating Role of Self-Efficacy, confirms what I’ve seen in the field(Zhao, L, & Huang, H., 2025).

The study shows that leader perfectionism can drive success but only when paired with self-awareness and emotional intelligence. Employees who believe in their abilities thrive under high standards, while those with lower confidence may crumble under the pressure.

Then, how can leaders ensure their perfectionism empowers rather than stifles? How do we create environments that bring out the best in diverse teams without leading to burnout?

Perfectionism in Leadership: Three Real-World Examples

To explore this further, let’s examine three leaders from different industries who have wrestled with perfectionism, balancing its benefits and drawbacks.

1. Ursula Burns (Technology & Business, Former CEO of Xerox)

When I first heard Ursula Burns speak, I was struck by her direct, no-nonsense approach, a trait I recognized in myself. As the first Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company, Burns set high expectations, demanding excellence and accountability.

Under her leadership, Xerox transformed from a paper-based printing company into a digital powerhouse. She refused to accept mediocrity, and employees who thrived under her precision and clear vision helped drive this change.

But perfectionism isn’t just about setting high expectation. It’s about knowing when to let go. Burns herself has acknowledged this balance:

"Perfectionism can be a barrier to success. You have to be willing to take risks and learn from mistakes."

That lesson resonates deeply with me. Early in my leadership career, I demanded perfection from myself and others. I thought that if I just worked harder, if I just pushed my team further, I could ensure success. But I soon realized that perfectionism, unchecked, can breed fear rather than innovation.

2. Ava DuVernay (Film & Media – Award-Winning Director & Producer)

Ava DuVernay didn’t just break into Hollywood. She redefined it. As a filmmaker, she is known for her meticulous attention to detail and commitment to excellence. She challenges industry norms, crafting films that tell stories with purpose and precision.

I see a reflection of myself in her leadership. Like DuVernay, I have been in spaces where I was one of the few; the only Latina, the only woman, the only LGBTQ leader in the room. And like her, I know that high standards must be coupled with empowerment.

DuVernay made history by ensuring that Queen Sugar was directed entirely by women, many of whom were given their first major directorial opportunity. She demanded excellence but also created opportunities, proving that perfectionism doesn’t have to come at the cost of mentorship.

She once said:

"If your dream only includes you, it’s too small."

That resonates because I’ve seen how perfectionism can isolate leaders. When leaders become so focused on flawless execution, they miss opportunities to build others up. DuVernay shows us that perfectionism can elevate not just demand.

3. Bill Walsh (Sports, Former Head Coach of the San Francisco 49ers)

If there’s one thing I love as much as leadership, it’s football. Bill Walsh didn’t just win games—he built dynasties. His perfectionist approach to precision, discipline, and execution led the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl victories.

But what makes Walsh’s story powerful isn’t just his demand for excellence—it’s how he balanced perfectionism with emotional intelligence. He understood that players needed confidence, not fear. He created a culture of high standards without toxicity, proving that excellence and psychological safety can coexist.

"I had to learn the hard way that perfectionism can be exhausting—not just for me, but for those around me."

That’s a lesson I had to learn too. As a former athlete and coach, I carried that “win at all costs” mentality into my leadership career. But perfectionism without empathy doesn’t build teams. It breaks them.

One of the most legendary moments of Walsh’s perfectionism came during Super Bowl XVI (1982), Montana’s first championship game.

During the first quarter, Walsh called a deceptive goal-line pass play that had been rehearsed hundreds of times in practice. The play required Montana to fake a handoff, pivot, and hit running back Earl Cooper on a perfectly timed pass in the end zone.

Montana executed it exactly as they had practiced. He froze the defense just long enough for Cooper to get open. And then boom. Touchdown.

After the game, Montana reflected on how Walsh’s relentless attention to timing and precision paid off:

"We had run that play over and over in practice, the exact same way, down to the footwork. By the time we got to the game, it felt like muscle memory."

Bridging the Gap: The Role of Emotional Intelligence

While perfectionist leaders can inspire their teams, their impact is shaped by how they manage emotional intelligence (EI). Leaders with high EI recognize when their perfectionism is causing undue stress and can adjust accordingly.

• Self-Awareness: Do your high standards motivate or demoralize your team?
• Empathy: Are you recognizing when employees need support?
• Adaptability: Are you tailoring your approach based on team members’ self-efficacy levels?

As Dr. Brené Brown reminds us:

“Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving for excellence. Perfectionism is, at its core, about trying to earn approval and avoid shame.”

This is where leaders must reflect: Are we setting high standards to push innovation, or are we imposing perfection to control outcomes?

Practical Steps for Leaders

• Assess Your Perfectionism – Are you inspiring, or are you unintentionally causing fear?
• Know Your Team – Some employees thrive under pressure, while others need structured support.
• Encourage Psychological Safety – Do employees feel safe to fail, learn, and grow?
• Monitor Well-Being – Are you watching for burnout?
• Recognize Small Wins – Do you celebrate progress, not just perfect outcomes?

Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez says:

"The world does not need more perfect people, it needs more real ones."

Leaders who learn to balance perfectionism with authenticity build stronger teams, healthier cultures, and long-term success.

#LeaderPulse

Sources:

Brown, B. (2012). Daring greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead. Gotham Books.

Brown, B. (2015). Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving for excellence. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/

Burns, U. (2021). Where you are is not who you are: A memoir. Amistad.

DuVernay, A. (2016). Conversations with Ava DuVernay. FilmCraft.

Flett, G. L., & Hewitt, P. L. (2002). Perfectionism: Theory, research, and treatment. American Psychological Association.

Harris, D. (2008). The genius: How Bill Walsh reinvented football and created an NFL dynasty. Random House.

Harvard Business Review. (2023). How perfectionism impacts leadership performance. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/

NFL Films. (n.d.). Bill Walsh: A football life. NFL Network.

The Hollywood Reporter. (2022). Ava DuVernay on breaking barriers in film and leadership. The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/

Walsh, B. (2009). The score takes care of itself: My philosophy of leadership. Portfolio.

Zhao, L, & Huang, H. (2025). The double-edged sword effects of leader perfectionism on employees' job performance: The moderating role of self-efficacy. Frontiers in Psychology. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1412064/full