Working at the performance limit or more visibility in the company?
// By Simone Janson
Just down a gear, only half as much gas at work and so relaxed reach the goal, unfortunately, only the least of us. At the same time we have it in our own hands how much we work. Do not you believe? Then you should read on here.
Downshifting - only good, not perfect!
"Anything that is not XNUMX percent is not good!" Your secret creed? Is that right for you? You are not alone in this: For most perfectionists, good is simply not good enough. What counts is outstanding performance.
With yourself - and also with others. This is great for your company - just not for your career and your life! So it's time to shift down a gear and let five be straight - downshifting.
The diligent bees of every company
Of course, every boss is happy about perfectionists: they are the hard-working bees of every company.
You don't really have to tell them that you should do your job well: you basically do more than you should - and usually until you sacrifice yourself. Because your yardstick for when performance is really high is pretty high.
Everything has to be perfect?
This attitude clearly speaks of a tendency to simplify. But think about it: there are certainly things in your life that are not XNUMX percent - and still good. For example, the colleague whose casual manner you sometimes get annoyed with? And aren't you having so much fun at work because he sees things a little more loosely?
Or the meeting last week: the boss actually wanted to discuss something completely different. But then some very good ideas came up spontaneously and in the end the distribution system was significantly improved. With a little thought, you will probably come up with many such examples, all of which are not XNUMX percent, but still good! Because: If you don't do something perfectly, it doesn't mean that you are doing it incorrectly or sloppyly. It depends on the right measure.
Work until you drop
Let's take a closer look at Irene's example: Hardly an evening when she comes out of the office before 22 p.m. Today it is the important sales presentation for tomorrow's meeting. "It has to be perfect," said the boss.
And Irene knows: If you make even a small mistake, the boss will be angry. That is why Irene reads through the finished Power Point foils for the twentieth time: Maybe blue in the graphic stands out better from red than green and maybe she should change the color again? And would a "However" at the beginning of the sentence not be better than a "But"?
Just don't risk anything - the naked fear
Under no circumstances does she want to risk that your boss will have another choleric attack. The last one is still in her bones. "But I deserved that too, after all I was sloppy there," Irene blames herself. Because Irene had been annoyed about the boss. For years she had continuously rubbed herself up and worked until she dropped - and then she was passed over during a promotion.
The boss found that she was not qualified for a management position and was better suited for the current task. The department head had been given a colleague who, in Irene's eyes, is a gossip. "Then I don't need to make an effort anymore," she had thought angrily and was, very perfectionist black and white thinker, from one extreme, always wanting to give 110 percent, to another: files stayed, customers were not called back and more often Irene was late in the morning or left earlier.
Selfishness or self-care?
The boss was very upset when he noticed: "Your behavior is anti-social. Good employees just don't behave that way, "he roared angrily. He didn't even have to threaten with a warning or dismissal; Irene was immediately afraid; she switched back to the usual perfectionism course and even got a tooth: no one should have anything to complain about from now on, especially the boss. "I will do everything I can to prevent this from happening again," Irene promised.
Unfortunately, she completely ignored that her body will not take part in the long run. Just last week she fell asleep in the office, completely tired. And three days ago a colleague pointed out a big mistake that the revised Irene had simply overlooked. "That would have been trouble again. Such a thing must never happen again! " Irene takes a firm stand and wants to try harder in the future ...
Why the working bee does not become a queen
Do you recognize one or the other from your everyday work? Irene's story is typical of many perfectionists in companies: they do incredible things, work until they drop - and there is no recognition.
On the contrary, if you do make a mistake, you will be criticized immediately because bosses are not used to mistakes by their perfectionists. Unfair. Or? Unfortunately, these worker bees overlook some crucial factors that are far more important to performance than performance.
Career factor self-expression
First of all, there is self-expression. What do incredible workloads and top performances bring if the boss doesn't even notice it or has even gotten used to the fact that you are always so good?
Therefore, you should not only work until you drop, but also communicate it appropriately to the outside - like a company that cannot only invest in the development of a new product, in the hope that it will sell itself. Advertising is at least as important - even if that makes perfectionistic nature difficult to understand.
Productivity career factor
Another common misconception of many perfectionists: more effort equals more productivity. With their high standards, people like Irene then literally whip themselves to peak performance. This makes them extremely productive at first and may even work for a limited period of time. However, stress only makes you physically more productive, and only for a while, while it hinders clear thinking. However, you can probably confirm from your own everyday life that many mistakes happen in stressful situations.
Hasn't it already happened to you that you were nervous about an important meeting or presentation - and promptly you poured coffee on your pants? Or you had to finish something on the computer quickly, press the wrong button in a hurry - and the whole file was gone? On some days, everything seems to go wrong. Now, please do not look for excuses such as "standing with the wrong foot". Hustle and bustle and, associated with this, carelessness are very often to blame for such mishaps. Pay attention to it!
Career factor leadership
If you want to advance, not only technical knowledge and motivation count, but also leadership skills. At least the boss who is supposed to promote you must be convinced that you have some. Irish boss, for example, is not convinced.
He notices that Irene does a lot, but also that she is driven mainly by the fear of making a mistake. The driving force behind their actions is not the joy of work, the positive, forward-looking "wanting to create something", but pressure and fear. The problem, however, is that fearful people have less competency, less respect for them, and less responsibility - that's why Irene was skipped during the promotion.
Career factor critical ability
But how is the boss supposed to have respect when Irene crouches anxiously in his chair in front of him during a critical discussion and demonstrates to him through her body language that she is not ready for managerial tasks?
It would be much better if Irene confidently dealt with the criticism and showed next time that she learned from it how to do it better. But perfectionists like Irene are so afraid of the criticism that if they do something wrong, they will do everything they can to make no mistakes. However, as Irene's example also shows, this noble goal can only be achieved in the rarest of cases. On the contrary, the pursuit of perfection often has an adverse effect.
Lower the bar
So it doesn't do much good for your career to always want to meet the highest demands. You can switch back a tooth with a clear conscience and lower your personal bar a little. Even if you may find it difficult at the beginning:
It doesn't always have to be 200 percent - often good or just average performances are completely sufficient. And for that, you, yes you yourself, should simply lower the bar for your performance.
I decide what is good enough!
But what is good? When do you know if a performance is good enough when nobody tells you? The simple answer: you decide - all by yourself! Of course, you will object now: "But the boss puts pressure on me to perform excellently." Honestly: If it were up to most bosses, you could work around the clock and would rarely hear a word of praise. So don't wait for the boss to tell you that you can work less, but set the benchmark yourself.
Of course, you have a certain number of tasks to perform every day. But ultimately it is up to you how much time you spend on the individual work and how perfectly you do it. It's not about suddenly becoming sloppy, as happened to Irene at times; it is enough to lower your own bar just a few centimeters to still achieve good results with less effort.
Less performance: sounds simple, is complicated
But if you're a die-hard perfectionist, it's not that easy. It is of little use to hear from others that you can still just be five. How many times have you wiped out such assurances as mere lip service? "The colleague thinks it's okay? Pah, he's just happy if I make a mistake! "
And even if it was the manager who literally hammered you that your work was absolutely great, you may have been extremely creative...
