In many Western societies, a certain degree of perfectionism has become the norm, especially in jobs where a high value is placed on perfect performances and ambitious goal setting among leaders and C-suite executives. While perfectionism can drive excellence and productivity, high levels of perfectionism can lead to significant emotional, physical and interpersonal problems including depression, anxiety, burnout, reduced job satisfaction, low self-worth and decreased work performance.

What is Perfectionism?

Perfectionism is a personality trait in people who strive for absolute flawlessness, set excessively high standards and are overly critical when evaluating their own performance or behaviour. Perfectionists pursue these standards compulsively, and view it as a total failure if they fall short.

As Dr. Brené Brown, research professor of social work at the University of Houston and author of six #1 New York Times best sellers explains, “Perfectionism is not the same thing has striving to be your best. Perfectionism is the belief that if we live perfect, look perfect, and act perfect, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgement, and shame.”

Writing in Verywell Mind, psychologist, author and emotional wellbeing educator Dr Elizabeth Scott refers to three types of perfectionism based on the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS). Jointly created by Canada-based clinical psychologists Dr Paul Hewitt and Dr Gordon Flett, the MPS is still widely used to assess perfectionism.

• Socially prescribed perfectionism involves high standards and social pressure to succeed. This type contributes to poor self-confidence and feelings of anxiety. These perfectionists believe that others hold unrealistic expectations for them. They feel crushed by external pressure and what they perceive as harsh criticism, which contributes to poor self-confidence and anxiety.

• Other-oriented perfectionism involves having high expectations of other people. Other-oriented perfectionists set unrealistic standards for others like partners, friends or work colleagues. They also tend to be inflexible in evaluating the performance of others, which can contribute to conflict and relationship issues.

• Self-oriented perfectionism is a more adaptive or healthier adaptive form of perfectionism, characterised by resourcefulness, positive emotions and high motivation. Self-oriented perfectionists tend to assess themselves harshly and apply strict standards while remaining strongly motivated to achieve perfection and avoid failure.

Dr. Katherine Helm, clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychology and Director of Graduate Programs in Counselling at Lewis University, Illinois remarks that some perfectionists wear the label like a badge of honour. “Having high standards for yourself is a good thing, but the very definition of being perfect, indeed means that you have failed, since nothing can actually be 100% all of the time.” 

Prevalence

While there is limited research on the global prevalence of perfectionism among C-suite executives, studies suggest it is common among high-achieving individuals, including those in leadership positions. An estimate by ceoworld.biz places perfectionism as affecting over 30% of the world’s population.

A study by the Social Research Lab at the University of Northern Colorado and The Hardin Group, found that 92% of people are affected by perfectionism at work, while 86% believed perfectionist expectations impact their work and 72% believe perfectionism is harmful to relationship-building.

There are perfectionists in a variety of industries, but perfectionistic C-suite individuals are most likely to be attracted to highly pressured and competitive work environments such as finance, law, business consulting, technology and healthcare.

Studies have also shown while both men and women in leadership positions are susceptible to perfectionism in the workplace, there may be some differences in how it manifests. It appears that women may experience more pressure than men to be perfect and may be more likely to internalise criticism and negative feedback.

Perfectionism’s Impact on the Workplace

In the last 25 years, researchers from multiple psychology disciplines have greatly advanced the knowledge about the role of perfectionism across many job-related concepts. Yet, because perfectionism involves both benefits and consequences for individuals and organisations, the total effects of this multidimensional phenomenon at work are still largely unclear.

Studies have shown that perfectionism can lead to reduced productivity, missed deadlines, burnout and strained relationships with work colleagues, as well as to a lack of creativity and risk-taking. Moreover, with perfectionists typically being averse to trying new approaches and making mistakes, it can also reduce risk-taking and dampen creativity.

That doesn’t mean that having high standards, being precise and paying meticulous attention to detail are bad qualities. But, as leadership expert and best-selling author Robert S. Kaplan, former President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas remarks, “Everybody is a perfectionist to some degree. It’s when it becomes an obsession that it’s a problem. You don’t have to be good at everything.”

Certain perfectionistic behaviours that have an especially negative impact on work productivity, according to former clinical psychologist and researcher turned best-selling author Alice Boyes include:

• Controlling and micromanaging everything
• Failing to prioritise important decisions above unimportant ones
• Feeling morally obliged to overdeliver and possibly imagining disastrous consequences of failure
• Becoming angry when unable to fully accomplish a goal
• Unwillingness to adopt new work habits 
• Procrastinating.

Interestingly, an article in pragatileadership.com – discussing signs of a perfectionist leader – comments that leadership development experts say perfectionism isn’t automatically associated with leadership traits. Leadership that requires a commitment to quality and attention to detail seldom prospers on fixations..

In addition, perfectionist leaders who strive for excellence and need to ensure everything is flawless ‘can become overpowering,’ which may result in them unconsciously starting to control people and situations. Besides affecting interpersonal relationships, it creates negativity, which hinders growth and creativity in the workplace.

How to Identify Signs of Perfectionism

Since perfectionism is complex and multi-faceted, it can have both positive and negative impacts on your individual performance and well-being.

To put things into perspective, a meta-analysis of 95 studies –  by Brian Swider, human resources expert and Associate Professor at the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida and fellow researchers – found no evidence that the exacting standards of perfectionists leads to higher-quality work or that they perform better.

Writing about perfection in the workplace in the Journal of Applied Psychology, Swider also mentions two types of perfectionists – excellence-seekers who demand high standards of themselves and others; and failure-avoiders who compulsively worry that others won’t respect them if they’re not perfect or fear their work is not good enough. Their research also did not find any evidence that either perfectionist type achieves more than non-perfectionists.

Swider remarks while someone can have ‘varying degrees of either or both these types,’ the key difference in excellence-seeking perfectionists is an increased likelihood of willingness to work long hours and a high level of engagement. He adds that perfectionists typically have unrelenting expectations and will set goals that are consistently unattainable. Even when they do a good job, they are dissatisfied and don’t see it as a cause for celebration.

So, how do you identify perfectionism in yourself? Organisational psychology experts recommend honest self-introspection as an essential first step. Granted, examining your own behaviours and thought patterns doesn’t always come naturally to perfectionists, and acknowledging unhealthy or maladaptive perfectionist traits can be even more challenging!

On the upside, once you’ve identified the signs, acknowledge that your perfectionism has surpassed rational thinking and is affecting you negatively, it’s easier to take positive action.

Which of the Following Signs of Perfectionism do you Recognise in Yourself?

• Setting unreasonable goals and having unrealistically high standards or expectations of yourself and others around you. 
• Being highly critical of yourself and others – obsessing about your mistakes and flaws instead of praising your achievements. 
• Being inclined to be less open to accepting feedback and criticism from others.
• Difficulty delegating tasks or responsibilities to others, because you distrust the quality of their work or believe nobody can do something as well as you can. 
• Nitpicking – focusing excessively on minor details to ensure every aspect is faultless. 
• Being Fearful of making mistakes and feeling anxious about taking risks or starting something new.
• Always believing you ‘could have done better’ or that your work is never good enough.
• Procrastinating because of fear you won’t be able to complete a task perfectly. Paradoxically, procrastination caused by perfectionism actually decreases productivity, resulting in heightened stress and missed deadlines.
• Finding it difficult to switch off from work or overworking long hours.
• Sacrificing personal time and neglecting your health and physical well-being.

While reading through this list might be confronting, Dr. Katherine Helm points out that the most harmful aspect of perfectionism is being overly self-critical. She explains there’s a stark difference between self-reflection in which you acknowledge and learn from your own mistakes and applying such harsh self-judgment that mistakes are intolerable. “The emotional consequence is often shame, which is damaging and can erode our ability to have a positive sense of self.”

Science-Based Strategies to Overcome Perfectionism

These effective science-based strategies can help you cope with, and overcome perfectionistic behavior: