Managing Perfection: A Millennial Trait?

Does the pursuit of perfection affect the most recent workforce generations more than the earlier traditional or boomer population? Traditionals, boomers, and some of the generation X population may quickly shout out, “No!” However, some experts are seeing things differently. Do you have trouble managing perfection?

The Problem

There is a belief by some that our society has become too focused on extrinsic goals such as the attainment of money, an image of wealth, and physical appearance. This may make millennials and generation 9/11 (Gen Z, iGen), according to some researchers, at a much higher risk for developing ambition addiction, which may then lead to anxiety and depression. While perfectionism is often associated with having an unattainable or an unrealistic goal, it can also lead to feelings of unhappiness and create a lack of job satisfaction. Business and human resources professionals may quickly see this as a linkage to employee absenteeism and turnover.

Solutions

At least two quick thoughts enter my mind. The first is that employees in all job roles must have up-to-date and well understood job descriptions. In addition, they must be provided with prompt and constructive feedback on performance, and their goals should be clear, realistic, and attainable.

The second thought is to suggest that perfect and productivity are not synonymous with a job well done. During seminars I often remind groups that in many professional skill settings many job tasks can be accomplished quickly, while making the output perfect takes the most time.

Managing Perfection

Imagine writing a one page letter to the president of your company. You have two measurements of productivity, one being, to accomplish the task, the other representing the time it takes. You can probably draft the letter very quickly, accomplishing 80% of the task while only taking about 20% of the time. While fine tuning or enhancing the letter to perfection is only 20% of the task, but it takes 80% of the time. In some cases, but not all, draft may be an acceptable approach for achieving both progress and productivity while also avoiding the harmful effects of striving for perfection.

It seems to me that if societal trends have us focused more on extrinsic accomplishments; perfectionism may be something all generations need to rethink.

What about you, are you a perfectionist?

– DEG

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Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker, and coach that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is the author of the newly released book, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

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