How to overcome perfectionism in business?
It’s never going to be perfect!
A couple of years ago I was on a discovery call with a potential client who is a coach working on her 3-month program. She was early on in her coaching career and I remember she put a lot of emphasis on wanting a strategy to make this program perfect when she roll it out. She wants it to be the BEST version so people would be making the purchase without a doubt.
Her story reminded me of many other coaches I know who are struggling with getting things out and rather than spending time on perfecting their product, but actually focus on building the audience who will actually consume this perfect product or their service.
They continue to be hunted by the ideas of
"Who am I to do this?"
"How am I going to handle all the things that I need to do?"
“Is what I am talking about even important to anyone?”
So you find yourself continuing to stay stuck where you are...feeling overwhelmed by the information that's out there. You have multiple projects going on all at the same time but are unable to finish and focus.
Even when you have a plan or an actual program that you have been working on for the last 6 months and yet you still can't seem to release it! Because you don't believe it is good enough.
“Perfectionism is a personality trait, not a disorder.”
The many faces of perfectionism
Perfectionism tends to have two components: a positive side, including things like setting high standards for themselves; and a negative side, which involves more deleterious factors, such as having doubts and concerns over mistakes and feeling pressure from others to be perfect.
Perfectionists, by definition, strive for the best, trying to ace exams, be meticulous at their jobs, and raise perfect children. So one might assume this drive for the ideal translates over to their health as well, with perfectionists being models for physical and mental well-being.
Research on Perfectionism
Research published by the American Psychology Association, Fry and her colleagues recently looked at the relationship between perfectionism and the overall risk of death. The study followed 450 adults aged 65 and older for 6.5 years. The participants completed an initial questionnaire to assess their level of perfectionism and other personality traits.
Those with high perfectionism scores, meaning they placed high expectations on themselves to be perfect, had a 51-percent increased risk of death compared to those with low scores.
After following 385 patients with type 2 diabetes for 6.5 years, the researchers actually saw the opposite effect. Those with high perfectionism scores had a 26-percent lower risk of death than those with low scores.
The results suggest that in certain situations, perfectionism can have advantages. With type 2 diabetes, scrupulous attention to blood sugar levels and strict adherence to dietary rules can have payoffs in terms of reducing disease severity, the researchers suspect.
"[Perfectionists] are very self-critical, they are not satisfied ever with their performance," Fry said.
How To Overcome Perfectionism in business?
Having the awareness that “Perfectionism” is a personality trait and not a disorder opens the opportunity for one to navigate the experiences when our Perfectionism become prominent. As with many personality traits, one can learn to adapt and establish a routine that stretches our personality muscle to be more spontaneous, be in the moment, and feel less strained with the idea of “Something need to be perfect” before I can release or announce it.
Becoming more intuned with what feels supportive and nurturing to our soul by having the awareness that our perfectionism is here to guide us in taking the precautionary steps in refinement when we need to readjust our course of sail.
Action Leads To Outcome
When you are launching a program or service, know that this action will always lead to an outcome. The outcome may be desirable but it can also be undesirable. The outcome gives us the opportunity to head back to our drawing board to learn the following:
What worked well this time?
What area do I need to improve on?
Outcomes are information that we learn through the actions we’ve taken to expand and grow.
Learning is a Process
There is a lesson behind all learning, whether it is good or bad, we learn from the experiences in the process of experimentation.
Try things out for the first time without the need to be perfect. Gather the information from the people you have worked with. Listen to your previous clients and ask for your feedback and input. Get into a conversation with them to see what had worked for them and what didn’t work.
What can you LEARN from the feedback you have received.
A great marketer does not just release the information without the customer survey process. A negative testimonial is far more valuable than a positive one.
Knowing That You Will Never Be Perfect!
As you and your business continue to evolve, know that you will never be perfect. A perfect business is a dead business. It means there’s no more room to grow.
Be perfect in the process of learning from your mistakes and rise above the idea that you have to be perfect in order to make a difference in this world and to the clients you serve. The only way to find out if this is a “Perfect” service, product, or blog article you are working on is to hear from the end-user their experiences after reading it, using it, and practicing it.
The longer you hold back on an idea to get out there and share your brilliance, the longer that perfect client of yours will wait to hear from you.
There is no perfect time than now to let go of the idea of Perfectionism knowing that it’s only a personality trait you have.
Remember, perfectionism is not a disorder, with the practice of self-awareness, you can overcome the need to give the power to this force that continues to hold you back from getting seen.
References:
Prem S. Fry, Dominique L. Debats; Perfectionism and other related trait measures as predictors of mortality in diabetic older adults: A six-and-a-half-year longitudinal study; Journal of Health Psychology; March 28, 2011
