Have you ever told an interviewer that your “biggest weakness” is being a perfectionist? While that might have been classic interview strategy, is it actually true? Are you a perfectionist? If so, you can probably think of times where your compulsion to have things a certain way have benefited your career. However, there are four major ways that your perfectionism could be holding you back.
- You don’t spread your wings
Your desire to keep track of the details and not stray too far out of your comfort zone can lead you to “stay in your lane.” The uncomfortable feeling that accompanies trying something new can be enough of a motivation to go to the same restaurant every Saturday night or buy the same car every five years, just the newer version. By nature, we can be creatures of habit, but when it comes to your career, not challenging yourself to take a step outside your comfort zone can limit skill acquisition, experience building opportunities and the chance to grow your professional network. The next time you’re invited to a networking event with some other people in your industry, don’t think about the potential for awkward conversation that will inevitably happen between strangers, think about who you might meet and the connections you might make.
- No celebration
As a perfectionist, it goes without saying that you hold yourself to a high standard, and have certain expectations for yourself. Your goals might include having a specific title by a certain age, getting promoted on schedule, or having achieved a certain number of stamps in your passport. Because of this, you don’t celebrate your wins. You view achieving your personal goals or meeting your own expectations as the bare minimum. If you fall into this category, it’s likely time for a little celebration. While you might not see the value in giving yourself credit where credit is due, there’s a connection between being able to celebrate your own victories and being able to do the same for people on your team and in the rest of your life. When you’re able to revel in your own accomplishments, it gets easier to do the same thing for your co-workers, family members, and close friends. The more often you celebrate, the more likely it will be that it starts to feel like second nature.
- Crossing your I’s and dotting your t’s
Yes, it’s true, oftentimes “the devil is in the details.” But focusing too much on the little things can get you caught up in the minutiae and cause you to miss the big picture. Is anyone really going to notice that the blue you used in the pie charts is the same that you used in last month’s presentation? However, they probably will notice if you fail to put in an entire section that gives the overview on the recent product launch. Don’t stress out over the little stuff, put your time, effort and energy into the big stuff that is likely to impact whether you are chosen to lead the next presentation.
- Mine, mine, mine!
Another way your perfectionism could be impacting your career is your overwhelming need to influence the outcome of most circumstances or projects that you’re a part of. The issue with your desire to control what happens can bring out the worst in you. You have a tendency to takeover when you feel like the project isn’t moving quickly enough, or you’re falling behind in comparison to other groups. Instead of figuring out a strategy to get your whole team on the same page; you’re likely to take over because you know you’ll “do it right” and this feels better than having to depend on your team. Instead of taking over like you normally would, next time, fight the urge to dominate and figure out how to involve the team you’re working with.
- They don’t like you, they really, really don’t like you
Always wanting to be in charge and taking over when times get tough can leave the rest of your team feeling like they’ll never be good enough to work hand-in-hand with you. That can cause the people that are working with you to either fear you and your criticism, or work harder in order to please you. However, the latter is rarely the actual outcome. It’s more likely that you’ll alienate your team in an effort to insure that you’re satisfied with how the project turns out. This has negative impacts on you and your team in two major ways. First, your inclination to takeover leaves you unable to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the members of your team. So, when the opportunity presents itself to assign areas that each team member will work on, you have no idea which area each of your team members would excel at. Second, you’re missing out on bonding. Teams can thrive when they’re under pressure and have shared experiences that can be called upon after the project is finished. Teams that actually like working together and feel confident in their performance want to work together to achieve a common goal. Don’t make your team miss out on this because having it “perfect” is more important than the process to get there.
These are just five of the reasons that the perfectionist in you can actually be your biggest weakness. The first step to overcoming your perfectionist tendencies is to identify when you’re behaving in one of the five ways we’ve mentioned. Then, determine how you could handle the situation differently and change course. Easier said than done, we know. However, no one expects you to change overnight, and any improvement that leads to enhanced team participation and celebration will be a welcome improvement.