(perfect) standards at all times to avoid letting others down. This
type of perfectionist is motivated by a fear of disappointing
others. This person believes he or she will be valued only if he or
she can produce nothing less than perfect work.
There are simple strategies to help you and your team to thrive
in today’s perfection-driven world (read the sidebar “5 Perfection
Detox Strategies” for insightful tips). By reframing the rigid and
fear-based goals of unhealthy perfectionism, you can also have a
new mindset wherein you feel empowered to optimize your
innate strengths, which in turn create a space for creativity, joy
and a company that excels with enthusiasm.
To check in with yourself and see if perfection is a positive or
a negative for you and your team, simply use the metric of joy. For
every thought you have around “perfect,” ask yourself one
question: Does this thought bring me joy or does it suck the joy
out of me?
Now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can focus on
becoming amazing. n
One of this year’s Professional Development Session speakers, PETRA KOLBER is a writer, speaker, happiness facilitator and recovering perfectionist. She works with individuals and companies to create flourishing lives that
elevate joy and productivity in both the workplace and at home. She has spoken at TEDx and presented in 20
countries and at over 300 events. A two-time cancer survivor, Kolber is passionate about teaching individuals and
teams to strengthen their courage, kick fear to the curb, jump for joy and stretch their dreams.
5
Perfection
Detox
Strategies
Learn to reframe failure. FAIL stands for “First Attempts In Learning.” Perfectionists
are mortified when they think they have made a mistake—and will obsess over it for
hours. An excellence enthusiast sees mistakes as proof that they are stretching their
courage muscle and they use failure as feedback. Even mistakes have data. The mindset of
being an excellence enthusiast allows us to play in the white powder of creativity and potential.
It is in this space where one gets to develop and execute the next trend or PR-worthy idea.
1.
Strive for progress, not perfection. Perfectionists are constantly looking ahead to
see how far they have to go. Excellence enthusiasts are able to look back to see how
far they have come. When we can balance the lessons from our past with a sense of
optimism for the future, we set the stage for a positive and forward-thinking environment
where we can flourish and thrive.
2.
Become a benefit-seeker instead of a fault finder. Perfectionists often focus on
everything that is wrong and imperfect. Other-oriented perfectionists excel at this
type of behavior. Excellence enthusiasts shift the focus to what is working and
create a solid and stable foundation from which to learn and grow. Excellence enthusiasts do
not have a Pollyanna approach, described as the tendency to remember pleasant things more
accurately than unpleasant ones. Instead, excellence enthusiasts recognize areas that may
need to be strengthened and improved, but their journey to excellence is filled with joy and
optimism versus doubt and dread.
3.
Live in the land of “And,” instead of “Or.” Perfectionists live in the world of this or
that, perfect or imperfect, success or failure. Excellence enthusiasts use the
language of and. When we replace the word or with and, it opens up room for
learning, growing and excelling. It removes the “black or white” thinking of absolutes and
creates room to learn, work and play in the gray of life.
4.
Be here now. Perfectionists are living in a constant state of compare and contrast.
They are either comparing their work to what they did in the past or are obsessing
about the need to deliver perfect work in the future. They can lose hours, procrastinating out of fear of doing something wrong and can waste days by obsessing over what other
people are doing.
Excellence enthusiasts live in the present moment. They reflect on the past, their mistakes
and what went well, the look forward to the future to create meaningful goals and timelines,
but they live and operate in the present moment.
5.
40
PULSE
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September 2016