Imperfectionism
People ask how I manage to do this 'zine on top of my real job, real life and everything else. Me, I wonder how other people manage to play golf on a regular basis or, worse yet, watch it on tv. To each their own, I suppose.
The truth is, it's amazing how much you can get done in a short amount of time if you don't care whether it's perfect or not. No doubt that sentiment will amuse some readers and disturb others, but I've found it to be true.
As several of you have surely noticed, I am quite content to create things with flaws, mostly because I know I'm going to do so whether I want to or not. That is, I am content to create what I can create, and I try not to insist on that which cannot be done. My satisfaction is based on the presence of something good, not the absence of all flaws.
That's why I've taken to describing myself as an im perfectionist, in contrast to all those self-described perfectionists out there. I gleefully jump into projects, give them my best, rejoice with the successful outcomes (however messy or incomplete) and humbly accept the failures as opportunities for learning and growth.
The difference between perfectionism and imperfectionism is not a matter of degree, where imperfectionists are simply easier to satisfy. It's more like the difference between optimists and pessimists. Optimists are not just pessimists with lower standards, though cynics may contend otherwise, and when someone says the proverbial glass is half full, it's not because they are less thirsty than their "half-empty" colleague. It's because they genuinely see the world from a different perspective.
So please understand that an imperfectionist can have very high standards. For example, I am determined to make this 'zine a world-class resource for the technology develompment community. In fact, I started writing this particular editorial two months before the first issue was even posted, and I re-wrote it three or four times. But I know a few mistakes will slip through, and well ... I can live with that. I'm actually counting on it (how embarrassing for me if there aren't any typos in htis issue, given the subject of this bit!).
And yes, there are such things as flaws that render an object unusable. I have very little tolerance for those. But other flaws are completely inconsequential, and some actually render an object beautiful. I rather like that sort of flaw, which contributes to the character and individuality of the piece. That drives some people crazy, I know, and I'm sorry about that, but personally, I thrive on it.
So I try to set the bar pretty high, but I'm not shocked or crushed when I get a B+ instead of the A I'd worked for and hoped for. That approach works for me, and as it turns out, there's some pretty serious research on this topic that supports my position.
The people who study perfectionism discovered it often leads to procrastination or even paralysis, which is the opposite of imperfectionism's bias for action. More significantly, researchers have linked perfectionism with depression, eating disorders, psychosomatic disorders and suicide.
Yikes! Thinking we can or should or must be perfect has some pretty serious consequences. No wonder the major world religions all tend to emphasize mankind's inherent imperfection. Gee, maybe they're on to something!
By now, some of you might be wondering how to unclench and develop a more flaw-tolerant worldview. A few of you might even want to become imperfectionists Right Now , and be the best imperfectionists around, the veritable Model Of Imperfectionism for the rest of the world to imitate, and you won't tolerate any more of that nasty old perfectionism ever, ever, ever again, no sir! If so, take a deep breath, dude. It doesn't work that way.
I don't have a magic formula or checklist, but I can tell you it probably won't happen overnight (though I could be wrong!). Having a sense of humor helps a lot. So does having a hobby–something you do for joy, not for credit (I don't recommend using a 'zine as your hobby, btw). I did find a perfectionism self-help brochure from a university counseling center, but it's not perfect either (and hey, I'm cool with that too).
OK, what does this have to do with project leadership? Just about everything . A lot of what passes for best practices in the Program Management / Project Leadership world these days is simply control-oriented, bureaucratic, institutional perfectionism trying to provide an assurance of optimized performance. No wonder our organizations tend to follow bulimic binge and purge cycles, have multiple personalities and exhibit other forms of self-destructive behavior. What they need to do is relax, get a sense of humor, expect excellence rather than perfection, and humbly learn from their mistakes. The work is way too important to give it the perfectionist treatment!
And the key word in all of this is "humbly." Perfectionism, for all its other flaws, is basically an expression of arrogance, and that's not healthy for people or organizations. To contend one's performance must be perfect requires the belief that it can be perfect. To call myself a perfectionist is really an attempt to compliment myself for my high standards. Humility, on the other hand, is all about acknowledging reality - my shortcomings, blindspots and weaknesses, as well as my strengths and gifts.
RPL is a work in progress. So am I. Please forgive my boldness, but so are you. I hope you'll aim high and do your part to change the world for the better. And when things don't turn out quite the way you planned, I hope you won't give up. You don't have to be perfect, but I'm sure you can be amazing.