Perfectionism: Virtue or Vice?
by Janet ~ March 3rd, 2009. Filed under: Success Strategies.
When speaking with a potential client, have you ever described yourself as a perfectionist? If so, you’re probably hoping to portray yourself as someone who takes great pride in your work and committed to providing quality service. Those are great traits to have, but be aware that perfectionism isn’t always viewed in a positive light. For starters, perfectionists are known for continuing to work on tasks that are technically finished, always finding “one more thing” that can be improved upon, instead of recognizing when it’s “good enough” and calling it complete. With this in mind, potential clients may worry that they will have to pay for the extra time you spend on their projects or, if you charge a flat rate, that this tendency will cause delays in completion.
Perfectionism can also cause problems when you’re doing non-billable work. If you set unrealistically high goals for yourself, you may avoid starting a new project because you’re afraid you won’t be able to meet your own high standards. Once you do start it, you may delay completing it for the same reason. And even if you do manage to get it finished, the fear that your new product, website, or other project isn’t perfect may keep you from actually launching it.
If you think you may be a perfectionist, you might want to take the fifteen-question quiz created by Elizabeth Scott, About.com’s Guide to Stress Management.
Perfectionism can lead to stress, which can hinder your productivity even further, and even cause burnout and illness, any of which could have a serious impact on your ability to continue operating your business and serving your clients. So, if you truly are a perfectionist, you might want to think about whether mentioning it will hurt or hinder your chances to land that new client, and whether it’s something you should be working on. I highly recommend Richard Carlson’s “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:09 am
I always describe myself as diligent. That way the client knows to expect, not perfect work, but excellent work in the time frame predicted.
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Jacki – that’s a much better word! I may have to use that one myself!
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Janet, I wrote a blog post on this subject last March:
http://newleafnews.wordpress.com/2008/03/13/perfectly-awful/
True perfectionism is pure vice, and one that robs people of their joy in work. Diligence? Great substitute!
Thanks for adding so many helpful insights to the conversation.
Margaret
March 4th, 2009 at 1:54 am
In some ways I’m totally not a perfectionist – details for example – I don’t give a crap about details.
However overall success/failure stuff and getting it right the first time? Totally. If I can’t do it perfectly the first time I don’t want to bother doing it at all.
Fortunately I’ve learned how to mitigate these feelings and keep working anyway.
PS The test confirmed that yes I’m a perfectionist…
March 4th, 2009 at 6:25 am
Used to be….but not anymore.
I love this post, good enough is good enough. As someone who works with people with perfectionist tendencies i learned that I was also stuck in the “getting it perfect” mode. I am much happier now that I can move on and be satisfied with a job well done…not a job perfectly done.
March 4th, 2009 at 6:38 am
Margaret, thanks so much for sharing your post – I love your style! “While the pursuit of excellence invites us to experiment, fail, learn and improve, the pursuit of perfection raises the cost of failure to unbearable heights.”
Alex, thinking back to your recent post about students who procrastinate, for me it was always more important to meet the deadline than to submit a perfect paper. I used to get SO annoyed with students who waited until the last minute to get started, then had the nerve to ask for a deadline (especially since they usually got it)! I just wanted it DONE.
Elaine, congratulations! I’ve only mentioned things like productivity and profitability, but happiness is much more important!