The Case Against Perfectionism

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When asked to state your greatest weakness, odds are that a part of you wants to be clever by sharing a strength in the guise of a weakness. For instance, you might be tempted to say your greatest weakness is being a perfectionist. After all, in our achievement-oriented society, perfectionism is viewed as a badge of honor. The term implies you have high standards and are willing to go the extra mile to get the job done. It has become synonymous with being hardworking, conscientious, detail-oriented, and productive.

On the contrary, perfectionism has nothing to do with these qualities. At its core, perfectionism represents a compulsive need to appear perfect because anything short of perfection is deemed unacceptable.

The Costs of Perfectionism

Contrary to popular belief, perfectionism can hinder job performance. Perfectionists can become so detail-oriented that tasks take an excessive amount of time to complete. I have worked with physicians who struggled to complete their notes in a timely fashion because they would go through them with a fine-tooth comb looking for spelling and grammatical errors. It is one thing to review your notes to make sure they are coherent and contain all pertinent information. It is another to fret over whether you should add a comma to a sentence.

In addition, perfectionists are prone to procrastination. When assigned a task, they put immense pressure on themselves to be perfect. This only makes them vulnerable to high levels of anxiety and prone to avoiding the anxiety-provoking task.

Furthermore, perfectionists have an aversion to failure. They may avoid challenging tasks that push them beyond their comfort zone and choose tasks they perceive as having a low likelihood of failure. This tendency can stifle their personal and professional development by depriving them of valuable learning experiences.

In addition to negatively impacting job performance, perfectionism can take a toll on interpersonal dynamics. Perfectionists can be difficult to deal with because they project their lofty expectations onto others. They can also be hypercritical when others fail to meet them.

Perfectionists also tend to have a high need for control which can manifest as a tendency to micromanage others. If you have ever worked for an overbearing boss who watched your every move, you can appreciate how disruptive this behavior is to work culture and productivity.

Moreover, their need for control can cause them to have a hard time delegating tasks. This is because they don’t believe others can meet their high standards when completing tasks. A failure to appropriately delegate further disrupts work productivity and interpersonal dynamics.

Finally, perfectionists are not the happiest of folks. Evidence shows that perfectionism is associated with a host of emotional difficulties, including depression and anxiety. It is also associated with health conditions such as hypertension and chronic headaches.

A deeper dive into perfectionism makes it abundantly clear that it is more of a red flag than a badge of honor. It comes at a cost to your health, interpersonal relationships, and work performance. The next time you are asked to share a personal weakness in a job interview or personal statement, think twice before trying to put a positive spin on perfectionism. Instead of glorifying the pursuit of perfection, I believe a healthier approach is to be authentic and acknowledge your imperfections as opportunities for personal growth.

A Healthier Approach

Now that I have made the case against perfectionism, I want to provide you with five tips to help you tame your perfectionism.

1. Embrace the gray.

Perfectionists tend to fall for the all-or-nothing trap. In their minds, if an outcome is not perfect, then it is a complete failure.

The mindset is flawed because it fixates on the endpoints and neglects a range of possible outcomes between them. For example, when taking an exam, a perfectionist may consider it a failure to not earn an A. However, you can answer the majority of questions but earn an A- because of a few small mistakes. Though imperfect, an A- is a respectable grade and certainly not the equivalent of an F.

2. Give yourself grace.

Perfectionism often represents an attempt to avoid a harsh inner critic. You try to be perfect to avoid self-inflicted criticism for having imperfections. The irony of this approach is that setting your bar at unattainable and unsustainable levels only makes you more prone to the criticism you are trying to avoid.

A healthier approach is to embrace your imperfections by practicing self-compassion. Give yourself grace by accepting that imperfection is part of the human condition. We all have things to work on.

3. Pick your battles.

You can’t be perfect in everything. You can’t simultaneously be the perfect parent, partner and employee while also finding the time to keep your house tidy, prepare healthy meals, exercise, hang out with friends, and attend social responsibilities.

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4. Remember your loved ones.

Perfectionism is a suffocating way to live. Taming your perfectionism will not only benefit you, but also your loved ones.

You can encourage your loved ones to not be so hard on themselves. However, actions speak louder than words. If you don’t tame your perfectionism, they will simply follow in your footsteps and embrace the same way of thinking and behaving.

5. Set the correct target.

There are certainly situations when perfection is necessary. I want my pilot to be perfect when flying a plane. The same holds true for a surgeon who is operating.

However, in the majority of scenarios, you don’t need to be perfect to be successful. You can graduate with honors without a perfect 4.0 GPA. You don’t even need to graduate with honors to succeed professionally.

Work hard, do your best, and focus on making consistent progress rather than being perfect. This formula is more likely to lead to professional success and fulfillment.