The coronavirus pandemic and the accompanying economic fallout are more than short-term disruptions in the way that we work. As major shifts in business continue, leaders must update their approach both to stay effective and to keep themselves from burning out.
In my last two blog articles, I talked about a couple of the most important adjustments you can make: creating more capacity in your day and using that capacity to recharge and reflect.
Today, I want to look at a roadblock that might be keeping you from making those changes and from being the kind of leader your team needs right now. Perfectionism may have helped you get where you are as a leader. But, especially in these fast-changing, high-pressure times, it can be a double-edged sword.
The Perils of Perfectionism
Throughout your career, you may have been recognized and promoted based on your high standards, your ability to drive results and your passion for hard work.
But, in the current environment, many perfectionists are running into problems:
With demands increasing in both your work life and your personal life, it's getting impossible to keep all the balls in the air, no matter how many hours you put in.
Your team members are trying your patience. They aren't getting things done, and they don't even seem to hear you sometimes.
You feel like you're being rushed to make decisions without your usual thought and deliberation.
Perfectionism and Your Leadership Identity
When the going gets tough, perfectionists tend to respond by just digging in harder. This is not just about habits; it’s about identity.
I saw this recently play out with one of my clients. She's on track to move into a C-suite role, and she's worked very hard to get there.
In fact, the executive who's currently in that role says my client is working harder than she needs to and believes she would perform even better if she eased up some.
But she can't adjust her expectations for herself. That's true in both her work life and her home life. Like many of us, she's dealing with significant changes domestically as well. She's working from home all day with her spouse, kids, and other family members. And she has high standards for herself on that front, too.
In the long run, her approach isn’t sustainable and her perfectionism sabotages her longer-term goals.
Less Perfect, More Productive
So what are some more productive ways to honor our high standards without driving ourselves — and others — crazy? Here are a few ideas:
Reassess your priorities. What was of paramount importance (or at least seemed to be) just a few months ago may be less important now. For example, maybe you were used to doing exhaustive research before making decisions. But it's now necessary to reach decisions more rapidly, even if you have to do so based on less information. As author and former clinical psychologist Alice Boyes told Harvard Business Review, sometimes it's more productive to be “less perfect about some things, so you can concentrate on what’s important.”
Set realistic expectations for yourself. Let's say you're about to start an annual project that, in the past, has taken you about a day to complete. This year, though, you have more responsibilities on your plate because your team has shrunk. And you're working from home while your kids are also home doing online school. What will it really take to get this project done under these circumstances? It's only realistic to assume that you will need more time than before. So go ahead and give yourself a bit of a cushion in your planning and negotiate the timeline with your manager.
Set realistic expectations for others. Are your team members not themselves lately? You might be used to telling them something once and then they get it done without a hitch. If that has stopped happening, don't automatically assume there's a performance issue. Remember that fear and stress can keep others from hearing you. And your team members might be experiencing any number of stressors, from fears about their health or a loved one's, to a spouse's job loss, to difficult questions about what's best for their family.
With that in mind, regularly ask your team members how they are doing. What's going on in their lives that could affect their work? How can you adjust your communication style based on their new reality? That might mean talking more on the front end of projects to ensure you are both on the same page. Or it could mean making more frequent progress check-ins.
This week, identify one way that perfectionism is showing up in your expectations for yourself or for your team, and one step you will take to adapt your approach. For more strategies on effective leadership, ones that can help you as you deal with challenges, pick up a copy of my book "Show Up. Step Up. Step Out."