Perfectionism versus Good-Enough

Perfectionism in a business can be a killer. Your products and services have to be good enough for your clients and customers. They do not have to be perfect. In fact, I don't think it's possible for them to be perfect. Someone will always find fault, not be attracted to your business or criticize. No matter how much time and energy and money you invest in perfecting it.

This is not to say your products and services should be low-quality, haphazard or flimsy. It just means somewhere this side of perfect. There is a huge chasm between perfect and bad. Good-enough will satisfy, even thrill your clients. Good-enough will require a reasonable investment of time, energy and money. Good-enough can include high-quality, excellence, style, aesthetics, functionality, and anything else that your client requires in order to buy. Good-enough can be best, and still not be perfect. Just enough goodness to make you and your customer happy. Not one ounce more.

The quest for perfection can prevent us from: sending out that press release because it's not perfect, posting our new product on our website because it's just not quite right or all the supporting processes are not yet in place, putting out a website because it still needs a little work, having our grand opening because it is not yet perfect, handing out business cards because you're still not quite happy with them, etc. Completion wins over perfection every time.

So how do we get caught up in the perfectionistic behavior? For some of us we get an ego boost from this as in "see how good I am". For some of us it is a way of trying to avoid criticism or judgment. For some, it is a misunderstanding of what your clients want and need and delusions of grandeur about what you can provide. For others, it is a way to avoid ever launching your products and services, of avoiding the possibility of failure. Whatever your own personal story is, perfectionism can destroy your business. And it wreaks havoc on your nerves, your time and energy, your bank account, and your confidence in yourself.

Practice noticing where you are feeling as if something must be perfect. When you notice it or even suspect that this is causing you a problem, back off. Try to examine what problem you are trying to solve and who you are trying to satisfy. See if you can come up with a solution (product or service) that is good enough. Let something out the door before you think it is perfect and see what happen. Every time I've done this, expecting a huge backlash from clients, absolutely nothing negative has happened. Often it engenders positive feedback. So give yourself permission to be less than perfect. If you can't see any way to back off from perfection, ask for help. Often a more objective look at something can tell you when you are done or when you really do need to invest more in it.

All blog content is copyrighted, all rights reserved, Mary Anne Fields and Life Unfolds, 2006

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