Striving for Perfection – Is Excellence Really That Good?

I enjoy doing things perfectly. Whether it's a presentation for the next meeting or the best possible structure for our next workshop, I spend an endless amount of time making sure every last detail is right. But is it really worth it?

Firstly, it's reassuring to know that I'm not alone in my behaviour. In job interviews, "I'm a perfectionist" is still the most common answer to the question about possible weaknesses. The underlying assumption is that the positive effects of perfectionism ultimately outweigh the negatives. Unfortunately, this is a misconception.

Perfectionism: What Are We Actually Talking About?

In 2018, Dana Harari and her colleagues thoroughly examined the topic of perfectionism in the workplace. In order to understand the positive and negative effects of perfectionism, the authors suggest first breaking down the issue. They distinguish between "striving for excellence" and "avoiding mistakes".

People who strive for excellence often have very high standards for themselves and their work. Such people often find it difficult to lower their own standards of quality. When they fail to meet these standards, it leads to frustration and a decrease in self-esteem. And even when they do succeed in meeting their standards, it can be difficult to enjoy that success. Self-doubt quickly sets in, thinking that their standards were not high enough, and future goals are set even higher.

In "avoidance of failure" perfectionism, the belief is that we must not make any mistakes. Closely linked to this is the belief that mistakes will have serious or even catastrophic consequences. Even when we succeed in meeting quality standards and delivering a perfect result, we do not feel joy, but rather relief, as if a great burden has been temporarily lifted from our shoulders. While we often set very high standards for ourselves in striving for excellence, the pressure to avoid mistakes can also come from outside. It makes no difference whether there is actually a zero-error tolerance or whether we simply believe that others expect a perfect result from us.

Perfectionism: Is It Really Worth It?

The study by Dana Harari and her colleagues clearly shows that perfectionism in the workplace comes at a very high price. Those who turn to perfectionism for fear of making mistakes have a significantly higher risk of burnout. At the same time, these people are often less motivated and engaged at work. They associate their working lives with very high levels of stress and report emotional exhaustion. They also forgo much-needed rest and tend to work significantly more overtime.

For people who understand their perfectionism as striving for excellence, these mental health risks are significantly lower. At first glance, they often appear to be very conscientious, highly motivated and committed to their work.

However, the authors found no evidence that perfectionists are more productive. One possible explanation could be that perfectionists spend so much energy and time trying to do a task as well as possible that they lack the energy and time for other tasks, which may then be done less well.

In summary, striving for perfection can be very stressful for employees and does not bring productivity gains for companies. So remember this the next time you ask your employees to 'strive for perfection'.

Perfectionism: How Can You Handle It in Practice?

What can you do now to break down perfectionism and find a healthy and efficient balance? Perhaps the following questions will help you and your team find helpful answers.

Questions to ask yourself:

• What are the consequences if I try to do everything perfectly?
• What would be the worst thing that could happen if something is not perfect?
• What other tasks or activities could benefit from my time and energy?

Questions to consider as a supervisor:

• What do I expect from my employees?
• How have I communicated these expectations to my staff?
• How did I ensure that everyone clearly understood my expectations?
• What have I done to create a working atmosphere that encourages a positive approach to mistakes?

Questions to discuss as a team:

• How can we communicate openly about mistakes and learn from them together?
• What regular reflection sessions can we establish?
• How can we develop strategies to better deal with perfectionism?

If you want to learn more about the dark side of perfectionism, I recommend reading "Never Enough" by Jennifer Wallace. If you want to learn more about the effects of a bad failure culture, I recommend reading "The Right Kind of Wrong" by Amy Edmondson. If you want to learn more about reflecting on collaboration in an open way, I suggest you google "After Action Review", a highly effective technique developed by the Navy Seals.

If you and your team need support in creating a better working environment, I am happy to help. Feel free to contact me by email ([email protected]).

Sources

• Basco, M. R. (2000). Never good enough: How to use perfectionism to your advantage without letting it ruin your life. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
• Flett, G. L., & Hewitt, P. L. (2006). Positive versus negative perfectionism in psychopathology: A comment on Slade and Owens’s dual process model. Behavior Modification, 30, 472–495.
• Harari, D., et. Al. (2018). Is Perfect Good? A Meta-Analysis of Perfectionism in the Workplace. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103(10), 1121–1144. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000324
• Hewitt, P. L., & Flett, G. L. (1991). Perfectionism in the self and social contexts: Conceptualization, assessment, and association with psychopathology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 456–470. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.60.3.456
• Hewitt, P. L., Flett, G. L., & Mikail, S. F. (2017). Perfectionism: A relational approach to conceptualization, assessment, and treatment. The Guilford Press.
• Shafran, R., Cooper, Z., & Fairburn, C. G. (2002). Clinical perfectionism: Acognitive-behavioural analysis. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40, 773–791. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(01)00059-6