Smart leaders agree: hire for passion, train for skill. A manager with a passion for excellence, quality and accomplishment will benefit an organization. But when a passion for excellence becomes a passion for perfection, everyone suffers.
By definition, perfectionists strain compulsively and unceasingly toward unobtainable goals, and measure their self-worth by productivity and accomplishment. Pressuring oneself to achieve unrealistic goals inevitably sets the person up for disappointment. Perfectionists tend to be harsh critics of themselves when they fail to meet their standards.
Most people agree that managers with a passion for quality and accomplishment benefit their teams. But when managers insist on perfection, they can drive everyone to the breaking point. While ostensibly committed to doing what’s best, perfectionists have tightly controlled definitions of what best means. And the number of definitions may be growing.
Perfectionism on the Rise
Is perfectionism on the rise? I have seen some pretty strong indicators in my work, and researchers have found that:
Perfectionism has increased substantially among young people over the past 30 years, with no regard for gender or culture. It manifests itself in three domains: self-oriented perfectionism, or imposing an unrealistic desire to be perfect on oneself; other-oriented perfectionism, or imposing unrealistic standards of perfection on others; and socially-prescribed perfectionism, or perceiving unrealistic expectations of perfection from others. The underlying reasons for the trend are not fully understood, but greater academic and professional competition are implicated, along with the pervasive presence of social media.
Psychology Today
As more Millennials move in to leadership roles, be it start-ups, non-profit or major corporations, the number of perfectionistic managers is growing. That’s not to say that Baby Boomers, Gen Xers or any generation is immune to perfectionism; researchers point to a variety of causes. Fortunately, there are ways to understand and deal with perfectionism while maintaining excellence and productivity.
What do you think? Are you encountering a rise of perfectionism in your work? I’d love to hear from you. You can call me at 561-582-6060, let’s talk. And as always, I can be reached here or on LinkedIn.
