I am excited to be bringing you the second part of my four part series Powerhouse Healthy Habits. This series aims at getting you and your team set up for success this fall.
This week you will enter your Emotionally Fit Room where we will talk about the flaw of perfection. Below is an excerpt from my book The Powerhouse In You: How to lead with greater resilience, courage, and confidence.
Remember a time when a loved one was sick, or a situation came up where you had to drop everything and go. Somehow, your organization managed without you. Too often we guilt ourselves as leaders with needing to “do it all” that our thinking sets us up for exhaustion, resentment, disappointment, and discouragement. Delegating to staff or family means letting go of perfection. Your goal is to share the responsibilities, so everyone feels a part. Listen to their resistance and then set it free.
This week, I’d like you to be thinking about the difference between perfectionism and high standards.
Perfectionism says somehow I’ve got to prove myself to you. This means that I need to get it perfect in order to get your approval.
It is really important to get clear with yourself. You’ve been around perfectionists before. You know how they really want to control everything. How do you feel around them?
This summer I visited with someone and when I stacked the dishes in the dishwasher, she went ahead and restacked them. And she did that each time I loaded the dishwasher. The feeling to me was that I’m not getting it right, that I’m wrong. And then I started to feel self-conscious and really just not comfortable.
What I’d like you to think about if you are a perfectionist at heart is:
What is the realistic standard right now?
I love the phrase “Perfect is good. Done is better”. A perfectionist is also more prone to be a procrastinator. They delay for the perfect time. They delay for the perfect opportunity. They delay for the perfect burst of creativity. They just delay until they are so stressed out.
Over the next seven days, I’d like you to ask yourself
How important is it that it is a B instead of an A given the current circumstances?
I’d love for you to share this with your team.
Remember, you are a POWERHOUSE!
BE more kind to yourself.
BE more compassionate.
BE more forgiving.
BE more loving.
Wishing you a powerful week.
Cate
Resilient Leadership Speaker, Author, Coach & Retreat Facilitator
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