Focus on Progress, Not Perfection

  Career Development   New Practitioners   ProjectsAtWork  

Everyday tasks and goals are actually baby steps on the way to achievement of the highest standards and accomplishments. Here are six progress-oriented strategies that can help free you from excessive self-criticism and increase you and your team’s creativity, satisfaction and confidence.

Heather, is a project manager at a publishing company, prides herself on her extremely high standards, even jokingly referring to herself as a “perfectionist,” but she has difficulty meeting deadlines. During brainstorming sessions with her staff, Heather yearns to unearth new discoveries and innovations, but dreads making even the smallest mistakes, putting a damper on creativity. She tends to take on only familiar challenges in order to guarantee that she will excel. Recently Heather noticed she has difficulty relating to and encouraging her subordinates. She longs to be able to inspire them, but finds she can see only flaws in their work. Since Heather is also self-critical, she is tense and rigid when embarking on new projects, putting a clamp on productivity.

Tyler’s office is down the hall from Heather’s, and she’s noticed how he and his team consistently come up with innovative new concepts and complete projects before the deadline. Whenever a groundbreaking new endeavor is discussed, Tyler volunteers to take it on. His confidence is truly …

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