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When my company launched a social feature for our clients a few years ago, we made a few bad assumptions in our messaging that derailed the campaign’s success. But when our creativity didn’t land, as an alternative of learning from our mistakes, we made an even larger mistake: we abandoned our efforts altogether. Right? We were perfectionists struggling with a pretty public failure. But as an alternative of iterating our campaign to enhance it, we let it fizzle out.
They say perfection is the enemy of progress, and I’ve seen that play out in my profession and with many entrepreneurs. No matter how great the offer, the pressure to get every part, Just the law can often delay — or completely destroy — a launch.
Perfectionism is common knowledge enemy of productivitythis the cause of many mental disorders and a typical answer to a query asked during a job interview:What is your best weakness??” But while we recognize that perfectionism is a barrier to progress (and I actually do), why do so many creative and progressive people still fall into this trap?
Perfectionism might not be a latest obstacle, but is on the rise – and not only with entrepreneurs. Culture competitive individualismamplified by social media, it puts pressure on us to be flawless and can seriously undermine our ability to succeed in business. In fact, it almost actually guarantees failure.
The truth is that all of us have to be willing to take risks—and fail—to enhance our work. Accepting the value of imperfection is the only real approach to do that.
Perfectionism can actually be harmful.
As someone recovering from perfectionism, I now understand that perfectionists are greater than just the stiffs and the ambitious. They could also be obsessed with meeting extremely high standards and unrealistic expectations. They may even be very self-critical and fear criticism from othersYet many begin their entrepreneurial journey by comparing themselves to those that have already succeeded, failing to acknowledge the mistakes these role models have made along the way.
Almost every entrepreneurial success story is based on countless failures – and many entrepreneurs is famous for this. But I have personally witnessed how striving for perfection from the start does not result in a successful offer. In fact, the results might be the opposite: no launch at all. Perfectionism often it stops potential entrepreneurs and creators from sharing your unique genius with the world and bringing a finished product to market. But there are ways to beat this. And I should know: I’m still working on it myself.
Suffer a small defeat, achieve a great victory
After seeing communities fail (which, thankfully, was minor in comparison with the rest of the world), I learned an invaluable lesson: the best approach to deal with failure is to look at it, accept it, and use it to enhance, not hide from it and pretend it didn’t occur.
We now approach our launches very in another way – we divide them into phases that allow us to check the market, get customer feedback, and refine our approach and message until we achieve the desired effect.
Making mistakes is natural in business, but learning from them and correcting them is the only approach to turn them into something positive. Many of the most successful creators go a step further and share their failures publicly. Patreon CEO Jack Conte calls it normalizing dudsand his approach is pure storytelling genius: a combination of humility and humor that makes his failures seem to be true works of art.
Beyond Perfectionism
As a recovering perfectionist, I know that embracing imperfection is easier said than done. We all operate in a hyper-competitive and often unforgiving business climate where every move (especially a bad move made publicly) might be ruthlessly scrutinized and criticized. We have all seen the chilling effects cancel culture concerns people and firms that have made irreversible mistakes.
Going beyond perfectionism means taking calculated risks and building mistakes into the development process on purpose. Here are some strategies we use to make the process more palatable:
- Connect with a community of peers: Sharing your imperfect work is easier when others around you are doing the same. Connecting with a community of trial-and-error entrepreneurs is the best approach to see that you simply’re not alone. In fact, becoming an entrepreneur is becoming part of a group of people in the business of overcoming failure. Whether you discover that group in a coworking space or a software community, look for others who can take critical feedback and let it inform their progress.
- Adopt a coaching mindset: Reminding myself that no one is perfect is helpful because even seasoned experts make mistakes. Redefining how I view failure (and success) meant rebranding my setbacks as opportunities to iterate. You may even reprogram your brain to understand critical feedback for the gift that he is.
- Look beyond the start: Launching products, campaigns, or businesses often creates an intensity that brings out the best in you, but focusing too much on them can result in disappointment—especially if the results don’t meet your expectations. I often tell my team not to place too much creative energy into something that may likely have to be modified after launch. Even if it’s flawed, I know we’ll learn something once it’s launched that may allow us to enhance it.
The truth is, all of us have moments of uncertainty. But as uncomfortable because it is to place your work up for judgment, the reality is that folks will judge it, whether you think it’s perfect or not. Accept that fact, do not be too hard on yourself, and don’t let the idea of perfect stop you from sharing your unique genius. After all, done is higher than perfect.