‘The ideal is unattainable, but you can strive for it’ sounds nice. But in business, this phrase can become a real curse. When I was just starting out as a manager, I also strove for the ideal picture. Presentations, design, processes — everything had to be flawless.

The dangers of perfectionism in business

At first glance, perfectionism seems like a good quality. In practice, however, the constant pursuit of perfection causes more problems than it solves. Endless revisions, fear of mistakes, delays in launching projects — all of this hinders business development.

As a result, entrepreneurs spend their time not on growth, but on trying to achieve an unattainable ideal. Let’s take a look at how a manager’s perfectionism affects the business and the team.

Loss of time and resources. Remember how at school we could spend hours rewriting an essay to make it ‘perfect’? It’s the same in business. Endless edits, refinements, striving for an unattainable ideal — all of this eats up time and resources.

Procrastination and fear of mistakes. ‘It’s better not to do something at all than to do it badly’ — that’s how perfectionists think. As a result, tasks are postponed, projects are delayed, and opportunities are missed.

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Missed opportunities. While I was striving for perfection, my competitors were already launching their projects. As we know, the best is the enemy of the good.

Burnout of the manager and team. When I was controlling and focusing on every little detail, I felt like a hamster on a wheel. And my team? They worked under constant stress and tried to meet inflated expectations. As a result, everyone was tired, and motivation and productivity were declining. There was a feeling of a meaningless race for perfection.

How to deal with perfectionism: five steps

It is difficult to let go of perfectionism — it seems to be the key to quality. The more we strive for perfection, the more difficult it is to make decisions, trust the team, and complete projects on time. To break out of this vicious circle, you need to recognise the problem and gradually change your approach. Here are the steps that helped me.

Step 1. Recognise the problem. My journey began with an admission: I am a perfectionist, and it gets in my way. My coach told me, “Perfection is an illusion. Stop chasing it, and you will be free.‘

Step 2. Set realistic standards. I learned to ask myself, ’What is really important for the success of this project?” Instead of flawless design, I focused on customer convenience.

Step 3. Delegate and trust. This was the most difficult part. But I realised that if I wanted my team to grow, I had to trust them. Even if the result wasn’t what I had imagined.

Step 4. Practise the principle of ‘better to just do it than to do it perfectly.’ One day I decided, ‘Okay, it may not be perfect, but let’s do it.’ And you know what? The customers were delighted. And I realised that striving for perfection was more my own internal mindset than a demand from the audience.

Step 5. Work on your fear of making mistakes. Before, every inaccuracy seemed like a failure to me, but over time I realised that mistakes are not failures, but experiences. Now I see them not as defeats, but as opportunities for growth.