This morning my inbox was greeted with a subject line,“Perfectionism is costing you autonomy.” As a recovering perfectionist, but still a card-carrying member of the club, I was offended.
Perfectionists get a bad rap.
Yes, we can paralyze ourselves with the obsession that nothing is good enough. Yes, we can burn ourselves out with the belief that our way is both the best and only option. Out of this near mania, we also create tangible and intangible things that share a common thread: they are distinctive.
In case you’re curious, distinction is a cornerstone of being memorable. Distinction is the difference between good and great. Between saying something and making a statement.
If there is a common thread among the most influential entrepreneurs, experts, and leaders, it is that they are distinctive. The most notable entrepreneurs are distinctive in either the goods or services they provide. Experts stand out among their cohort because of their approach to their subject matter. Profound leaders are impactful because they inspire the actions of others.
The problem is not perfectionism itself. The problem is that we often confuse perfection with precision.
At first glance, they appear to be neighboring concepts. Both require care. Both involve standards. Both reject mediocrity. Yet one is productive while the other is often paralyzing. Perfection is an aspiration. Precision is a practice.
Perfection asks,“Can this be flawless?” Precision asks,“Can this be clearer?”
The perfectionist obsesses over eliminating every error. The precise thinker focuses on making the next decision as accurately as the available information allows. This distinction matters because the pursuit of perfection is often infinite. There is always another revision, another feature, another draft. Another reason not to…
Precision, by contrast, has a finish line. A precise architect does not wait for a perfect blueprint. A precise writer does not wait for a perfect sentence. A precise leader does not wait for perfect certainty before acting. They make the highest quality decision available, knowing that action produces information that contemplation alone never will. In practical terms, precision allows us to move.
Precision is the discipline of defining terms carefully. The habit of asking better questions. The willingness to narrow ambiguity until a next step becomes obvious. Precision is less concerned with appearing right and more concerned with getting closer to the heart of the matter.
The goal, then, is not to abandon high standards. It is to redirect them. Trade perfection for precision. One is a destination that doesn’t exist. The other is a compass.
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