Perfection Is Full Of Mistakes

category: Business, Delegation, Learning, Problem-solving, Relationships, Results, Strategy
by David Colman,

Have you ever had the boss from hell? Unfortunately, all of us at TriOpus Group have endured such a ‘leader’ during our working lives. These folks manifest themselves in many ways, but one of the most common traits of these people is their demand for perfection both from themselves and from their employees. Gordon Flett has produced some interesting research on such people.

Jazz musician Ornette Coleman has probably never heard of Gordon Flett. I hadn’t heard of him either until recently when a rash of articles began appearing in newspapers all over the world.

Professor Flett of Toronto’s York University claims perfectionists are people who not only hold unrealistically high standards but also judge themselves or others as always falling short. “Perfectionism is the need to be – or to appear – perfect,” says Flett.
Does this sound like some of those bosses we’ve worked for? Even more to the point, does any of this sound like you?

If it does, you should also know that, according to Flett, perfectionists are prone to health problems because they are under constant stress.

And some of these unhealthy traits can be found in children. Back in 1994, 30 preschoolers took part in an experiment at a computer camp in Toronto. The kids were asked five questions to determine perfectionism levels. They then gave the kids a computer task that was rigged to fail. The ’most perfect’ children showed the greater signs of distress, such as extreme anger and anxiety.

Simply put, there are three types of perfectionist:

• Self-oriented – those who expect perfection of themselves
• Other oriented – those who demand perfection from others
• Socially prescribed – those who think others expect perfection of them

Gordon Flett says, “Perfectionists are persistent, detailed and organized high achievers”. And therein lies the rub. That can be hard to give up because the rewards for high achievers can be so intoxicating.

For those who want to abandon perfectionism, Flett suggests honestly assessing your behaviour and asking yourself: “Is this working for me?”

“Everybody acknowledges that nobody’s perfect, but still people are trying to be that one person.”

Which brings me back to jazz musician Ornette Coleman. He summed it all up in a sentence.

“ When I realized it was alright to make mistakes, I knew I was on to something”.

Thanks Ornette.

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