When Being a Perfectionist Is Bad

Often times being a perfectionist is thought about in positive terms. They do things right the first time and do not have to do them again. This might be a good mantra for carpenters (measure twice, cut once) and mechanics (who wants a mechanic who truly works solely on trial and error?), but it is not a great way to run an internet-based business. There are four key ways in which being a perfectionist can prevent an internet-based business owner from becoming successful: too much time is spent in planning and not an action, little or no feedback is received from the consumers, success is not allowed to build upon success and perfection can be a relative term.

Planning is important. It is foolish to set out to build a home or a business or even a product without a plan. The problem arises when the plan becomes the purpose. The plan is not the purpose, the product, or the home or the business is the purpose. It is very much like the old adage that one can not see the forest because of the trees.

If a business owner gets too in-depth and detailed in the planning process, the focus is lost on the overall mission of providing a product that the consumer will enjoy. Too much time spent in the planning process can also deter from the taking action part of the process. The goal is to get the product out to the public; too much time spent on trying to make the product perfect will often irritate the public who is waiting for it, thus having the opposite effect that one would hope for.

Another fall back about being a perfectionist is that it often limits the amount of consumer feedback that is received. It can also taint the way in which such feedback is received by the owner as well. One can not stress enough how important it is to get feedback from the consumers to whom one is selling. Trying to produce a product without consumer feedback is like trying to hike through the Rockies without a map or compass. One is just going to end up lost and possibly eaten by a bear. Consumer feedback is the compass that guides an owner to provided and later one producing a more perfect product. Tied along in this is that the more time one spends in perfecting a product, the more personal interest is put into it. That can be a good thing, but as often as not; it can also be a bad thing. Too much personal interest can cause constructive criticism and feedback to be rejected.

Success has to be allowed to breed success. Fear of failure has to be challenged and in the end, overcome so that success can take it place. Once success has taken a seed, then in continues to grow in and of itself. It is like the first time someone rides a roller coaster. They are often scared to death, but when the ride is over, they find new strength they never thought they had. The next ride might be a step-up and fear may still be sensed, but once the ride is over, new strength is found once again! This could go on ad infinitum. The point is that success snowballs, but it cannot get started if a product is not allowed to start rolling.

Being a perfectionist is bad when being perfect is relative. And in the world of internet-based businesses, it is. What might be a perfect product to an owner and her staff may not be a perfect product to the consumers? One has to take the chance and go out where the rubber meets the road to find out what perfect really is in their world. A product must be allowed to grow into perfection; much like a person goes through pain and effort to build muscles. How can one attain what one cannot define? And how can a business define perfect without letting the consumers be a part of the refining process? The obvious answers to these questions are in the negative. The goal of perfection may also be a maladaptive goal as well. Remember, the ultimate goal is to be successful, not to be perfect. And oftentimes striving to perfection weighs one down in the journey to success.

All that to say that a business owner must learn to take a chance. Being a perfectionist may help in other areas of life, but in the internet based business world, it can cripple a business. In other words, a perfectionist’s attitude may very well suffocate success. That being said, once the ball gets rolling, once the perfectionist's beliefs are laid aside, success has the room and air necessary to survive, grow and thrive.

Prior planning does prevent poor performance, but obsessive planning will result in no performance at all. It is not hard, but it requires the letting go of some maladaptive behaviours that are often well engrained. The results, however, will more than compensate for any displeasure in giving up perfectionism.