The reality of life is that it is full of truths. Anything can come in the way of success, and there is less to do to solve such an occurrence. When you are a leader, the greatest characteristic one needs to possess is empathy. This is the ability to see people for what they are and understanding they have a unique position in life. However, not all leaders are the same; some expect nothing but the standard or above standard. Perfectionism can be a killer of true leadership rather than bless as follows:
A Perfectionist Leader Never Performs
A perfectionist person will tend to go over and over something because they want it to be perfect. I’m imagining we are working in an industry with a high demand for what we are producing, we will be out of the market. A perfectionist attitude could mean we will produce less, further, not meeting market demand. The result is that somebody always sees the market gap and will end up satisfying the market before you do. This could kill a business.
A Perfectionist Leader Can Kills Team Morale
When employing people, we expect them to have the right competencies. Such a team with some discretion and understanding of the job performs above standard. If a perfectionist leader works with them, then the result might be poor. A perfectionist leader might spend most his or her time bulldozing employees across the organization. Such could frustrate employees and end up killing the confidence to handle the job.
You Do Not Tolerate Competition
The fact that you are good at what you do does not mean others are not even better at the same thing. Working in an organization allows you to collaborate not compete. This is one of the reasons why perfectionist leadership is a mess for any organization.
A Perfectionist Leader Creates an All Perfectionist Team
Working with a perfectionist appears like a scary thing, but employees might end up adapting to the work environment. Employees with a fear of going back and forth to work on a project will, therefore, spend a lot of time on even the simplest of tasks. Remember the leader has a version of what is perfect to them. Such could mean back and forth for review. The result is nothing that there will be nothing to show for it.
Perfectionist Leadership Makes You Unfriendly
The sweetness of working in an organization is that you get the chance to know people. If you are a leader then for many reasons, you need to be the big person. The person that brings people together when they have a contentious argument. Perfectionism makes you a bully and an enemy of the people.
Things could get out of hand for a perfectionist leader. The leader could lose the power to manage employees. Some could seek resignation, some could be taking leaves of absence, and some could find jobs somewhere else. They are, however, ways one can deal with being a perfectionist leader as below:
- Have It Done Then Check for Perfect
Some of the biggest companies in the world started with the simplest of products before going product range. The time wasted on perfecting the outcome could be spent on having the product in the market with plans of perfection coming later. You deserve faster feedback from the customers and therefore ensure the product is with them earlier.
- Value Comes Over Perfection
For consumers, a good product fulfills specific needs, which is its value. Most consumers do not look at the product with an eye for perfection. You will be surprised some love it less complicated and therefore your works of perfection do not matter. Work towards making the product valuable to the consumer. A customer could pick value over perfection.
- Communicate Expectations
If you are a perfectionist leader and still wish to succeed, let people know what you are looking for. Lesser reviews, less scrutiny could mean that you are getting the exact perfect item you are looking for. You do not want to blame and frustrate people for not getting it right when you did clearly state your demands.
- Accept Work Done
You might be having problems liking what people do, but they have done it well. If that is the case, it will be wise to accept their projects. It is a sign of confidence towards the effort of such employees. They could know you are perfect and understand you for respecting their talent or competency.
From the above, it is clear that perfectionism never works for true leadership. More details on the downsides of perfectionist leadership are available.