Many of those in leadership would consider themselves to be perfectionists. In fact, often they will accredit their success to this personality trait. Perfectionists are prepared, they have the answers, and they are trusted to handle leadership roles. One trait common amongst perfectionists, however, is the tendency to overprepare. And while this can be helpful in certain situations, the continued habit may prove to be detrimental to career advancement and success after a while. Kellogg’s fantastic Insight Blog has published an excerpt of a new book from their own Ellen Taaffe, The Mirrored Door: Break Through the Hidden Barrier that Locks Successful Women in Place, in which she discusses this conundrum among others. Although her book targets women in the workplace specifically, her insights on overpreparing apply to anyone with these perfectionist tendencies.
Taaffe writes that although over-preparing and perfectionism can be major success factors early in one’s career, it can eventually cause people to be pigeonholed as they typical preparer, or “worker bee”. Sure, everyone wants that person on their team, but the chances for advancement diminish significantly. Taaffe goes on to explain that while there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this tendency, there are some steps that these chronic over-preparers can take to help break free of both their internal expectations and the work culture that promotes this habit.
First, she suggests that perfectionists reflect on their successes. If they begin to think back on accomplishments and progress, they may realize they don’t need to prepare much further. The knowledge and expertise is already there, it just needs to be tapped into. The second, she says, is to re-frame roles. Don’t get stuck as the “worker bee”, delegate tasks to others and let go of some of the pressure. Again, this may be difficult for perfectionists who have lived in this role for so long, but in order to move on to something bigger and better, they have to break into something new. Third, she recommends planning properly and being able to ask for help. This means taking a realistic look at commitments when something new gets added to a workload. Is there really time to complete this project to the standard of excellence previously set? If not, delegation again comes into play. And lastly, she tells people to get real. As in, take an objective look on how lard perfectionists can be on themselves, and ask if it’s really warranted.
Give the full article a good read here for a deeper dive on each of these action items. If you are at all prone to perfectionism and over-preparing, you’re going to find some gems here. Anyone who considers themselves to be a perfectionist will benefit from these insights, from C-suite execs, to small business owners, coaches, and caregivers. Then, if so inclined, check out her new book!