When Is "Good Enough" Good Enough?

Perfectionism: Our Stealthy Saboteur

I once knew an entrepreneur whose startup was paralyzed by perfectionism. Every detail had to be flawless, leading to countless hours of advance deliberation and meticulous planning for each product release. He wanted to build the next great masterpiece, the next "Lamborghini" instead of another "Ford," he told me on more than one occasion. He approached entrepreneurship as an artist would approach a blank canvas, and every brush stroke against that canvas was deliberate and methodic. He injected himself into every product release and stopped several of them because some details were not attended to. He set very high standards for the entire organization to follow, exhibiting little patience for those who came up short, visibly irritated when others didn't display the same dedication to perfection. He thought he was creating a high performance, detail-oriented culture.

In contrast, I have known other entrepreneurs who balance their ambitions with a dose of pragmatism. They recognize that perfection is a mirage, a goal one can never fully attain, and instead embrace an iterative, adaptable approach, giving themselves and others the permission to experiment and fail.

I am sure you already know which ended up achieving their goals.

Combating perfectionism requires much self-awareness and vigilantly delving deeper into continuous improvement and adaptability. Perfectionism often masquerades as high standards but inevitably stifles innovation by slowing you down. Even the concept of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) can smuggle perfectionism through the backdoor as there are those among us who are in pursuit of the "perfect" MVP!

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good, is a Romantic era wisdom handed down to us by Voltaire and Montesquieu from the 18th century. Entrepreneurs who embrace this notion and foster a culture of experimentation and learning from mistakes tend to be the ones that succeed against all odds.

How to Not Let Perfectionism Sabotage Your Success:

1. Foster a Growth Mindset Shift the focus from flawless results to learning and progress. Psychologists have found that individuals with a growth mindset are more likely to embrace challenges and persist in the face of setbacks.
2. Adopt Iterative and Agile Processes The MVP concept doesn’t just apply to startups; it’s a principle for tackling complex tasks. An MVP mindset ensures that you deliver something functional, gather feedback, and refine over time.
3. Create Psychological Safety Perfectionism often stems from fear—fear of judgment, failure, or not meeting expectations. Psychological safety is essential for fostering innovation and high performance. Your team members should not be afraid of experimentation.
4. Practice Self-Compassion Self-compassion is a critical tool for combating the harsh inner critic that drives perfectionism. Research has shown that people who practice self-compassion are more resilient and motivated.
5. Balance High Standards with Realistic Expectations High standards are not inherently bad—they become problematic only when they’re unrealistic or rigid. Think of product iterations more as a balancing act than clearing some hurdle.
6. Redefine Success Broaden your definition of success to include metrics beyond perfection. Success can mean growth, resilience, relationships, or even the courage to try something new.
7. Try the Willem Dafoe Method Prolific and critically-acclaimed actor Willem Dafoe recommends pursuing failure as goal in and of itself to counter the paralysis we often feel due to the strong grip of perfectionism (check out his short interview here)

I always like this idea of trying to fail. Try to make a bad painting, try to act badly, try to be lousy in that scene. -Willem Dafoe

?? By welcoming what is "good enough" and the lessons we can learn from failure and experimentation we can navigate the complexities of innovation without being held back by the need for perfection.