There’s a saying in veterinary medicine about how half of what we know is wrong… we just don’t know which half. It’s impossible, after all, to continually learn things without disproving or (more commonly) significantly expanding on things we once thought were complete truths.
I was reminded of this fact recently as I reflected on some writing and interviews I’ve done around perfectionism. In the past, I’ve believed that perfectionism is essentially fear-based. It’s a behavior that we hold up as aspirational when, in fact, it’s a manifestation of un-aspirational mindsets like fear of failure and fear of losing control.
I came to this belief through a lot of experience working with perfectionist veterinarians and some solid research on common workplace behaviors. There is certainly truth in this idea, and we have all known perfectionists who are unable to delegate tasks or simply take a step back because of their own anxiety. Their obsession with “getting it right” comes from worrying about cases going wrong, not having an answer, being blamed for something that someone else did, letting others down, failing to live up to a perceived reputation, and so on. The behavior in this context generally becomes damaging to both the individual and the team working with them over time.
For these reasons, I have maintained that perfectionism is a trait that probably shouldn’t be celebrated or encouraged. I have viewed perfectionist personalities to some degree as “red flags” that might need to be managed, and I have encouraged perfectionists to work on “letting it go.”
My perspective on perfectionism, however, has begun to shift.
I was recently working with a lead CSR (Customer Service Representative) and her team. We discussed how the team holds each other accountable and their expectation that the rules and policies set by their large practice be followed. It was very clear that protocols in this practice were taken seriously and that knowing and understanding policies was non-negotiable. Perfection in the execution of the handbook was clearly the target.
At one point, I decided to probe a little into the “why” of this strict adherence to policy. It’s not that I don’t see great value in what they are trying to do. It’s just that it’s rare to see such lock-step alignment in a team this large. Most practices would swoon over employees who want to “get it right every time,” and I wanted to know what motivated the behavior in this case.
When I started asking questions to this end, I expected to hear all about what the team (or more likely one of the managers) feared. I anticipated hearing about how failing to follow protocols could hurt patients and clients, damage the clinic’s reputation, lead to bad online reviews, or get people into trouble with the doctors or upper management. But I didn’t hear about any of this.
When I asked this group why “getting it right every time” was so important, they just looked at me until someone said, “Because we want to be the best.”
This team was not pursuing the highest standards because they were afraid of what would happen if they came up short. They’re pursuing the highest standards because they want to be fantastic and believe they could be.
On reflection, I suspect that my view of perfectionism in recent years has been unfairly narrow. Yes, sometimes perfectionism does come from an unhealthy place, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes it comes from a burning desire to be exceptional. Perfectionism can stem from a belief that being organized, motivated, and disciplined every day is possible and that expecting great things from ourselves and our teams gets the best possible outcomes for our patients and clients. In these cases, I think perfectionism can be inspiring.
As with most things in life, context matters. In recent years, I think I have looked at behaviors like perfectionism through the lens of a problem solver. It is easy, after all, to size up people’s behaviors as being driven by the most basic instincts. Yes, people are often motivated by emotional drivers like fear, but they can also be motivated by a sense of deep purpose. Perfectionistic behaviors can be aspirational, intentional, positive, and proactive. They just need to be communicated effectively.
