To most people, the idea or state of being perfect is seen as something to be immensely proud of – a badge of honour if you will. This is evident in the response that candidates give to the interview question of “What would you consider to be your weakness?”
Should this be the case? Do we need to readjust our thinking about constantly striving to be perfect in our personal and professional lives?
Perfectionism, as we’ve stated, induces self-doubt and prevents people from being open to new ways of thinking and stepping outside of their comfort zone.
Additionally, here are some other detriments to being considered a perfectionist that areimpeding your personal development:
1) Perfectionists have trouble starting anything
Ambiguity isn’t something that perfectionists necessarily handle well – they want to make sure that every answer or action is right – and for this reason, they’re less likely to be nimble or immediately take action for the fear of being uncertain/wrong.
2) Perfectionists are not adaptable
The climate that we currently live in is one that is chiefly precarious; technological advancements have only exacerbated this uncertainty. As a result, businesses, for instance, need to be agile and respond quickly.
Perfectionists don’t react favourably to this fast-paced culture for obvious reasons – they’re not nimble. Such individuals move at a glacial speed (spending so much time collecting and amassing as much information) before making any decision: a luxury most executives don’t have.
3) Perfectionists are procrastinators
Because of their unwillingness of being wrong (or receiving criticism) there is a great likelihood that they get crippled by fear, and as such, postpone their work.
4) Perfectionists have no idea when good is good enough
Perfectionists typically suffer from “analysis paralysis” – in other words, they always want just a little more information to arrive at the correct answer or to make the right move.
Unfortunately, they don’t understand that sometimes in life you’ve got to rely on informed intuition: the keen ability to know when there is enough information to make a decision and forge ahead.
5) Perfectionists are perennially on the hunt for the elusive right answer
There are very few circumstances in life when there is an ideal answer, and you just have to make do with what you have to get by. Tragically, this is a reality that eludes the perfectionist. They’re so obsessed with chasing this “unicorn”, that it ends up turning into a “fool’s errand”. As a result, it ends up getting in their way of their professional and personal development goals.
It is our hope that you err on the side of caution the next time you’re about to refer to yourself a perfectionist – it might not be communicating the right message.
