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Someone who is a perfectionist tends not to be a very effective worker. This is true for both managers and regular workers. What is actually wrong with perfectionism, why do perfectionists end up being inefficient workers, and how can this problem be overcome?
According to Addicted2Success.com, perfectionism brings with it a certain paralysis, namely paralysis in decision-making and the ability to analyse one's work or problems. Perfectionists are so focused on details that they lose sight of the big picture and as a result are unable to make effective decisions, find compromise solutions and analyse problems objectively. Therefore, where decisions and analysis are concerned, it is essential to determine in advance what level of detail you will be focusing on and not become too caught up in minute details.
Perfectionists have exaggerated expectations. They want to achieve maximum and unadulterated success. But this is often impossible, or it is possible only if you spend an unrealistic amount of money, time and energy on the project. Thus perfectionists are neither good leaders nor good workers; they need to work on having realistic expectations so they can plan properly their own work or the work of their team.
Related to perfectionism is a tendency to use time inefficiently. Often the worker in question spends a disproportionate amount of time on details and trivial matters, time which could be much better spent on something else. People with a tendency to perfectionism need to be particularly careful when planning their work activities in detail and always determine in advance the maximum amount of time they can spend on any one task.
Perfectionists always want to be the best. This means, among other things, they have a hard time accepting negative, albeit constructive, feedback. The inability to accept feedback is a problem for both rank-and-file employees and team managers. Perfectionists must therefore temper their own expectations and accept that improvement is only possible if they are willing to listen to the advice and feedback of others.
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