In Pursuit of Perfection?

Do you feel frustrated? Are you a self-proclaimed perfectionist? Feeling overwhelmed now or at other times?

I was speaking with a prospective client the other day when he mentioned he was a perfectionist and was constantly pursuing perfection.

You're in business for yourself or someone else and let's face it, achievement is a big part of the game.

So let's talk perfectionism, shall we?

Many of us in business and in life pursue perfection. But what exactly is perfection?

The dictionary defines perfection as being free from all flaws or faultless. Really?

First and foremost, we are human beings. Faults and flaws come with the package.

A child before age 3 is probably the closest any of us will come to perfection. And even then, we come into this world with our own uniqueness.

Perfection is an illusion. It is built on what we think and believe perfection should be. It's the act of trying to accomplish all the 'shoulds' of being a great leader, which causes stress, frustration and overwhelm.

If not perfection, what then?

So what then should you seek to achieve if not perfection?

When I was about 14 years old, my city-league baseball team made it to our version of a world series. When it was over, we had won! Man, I was so excited!

My family's home was just two blocks away from the ball field and after the trophy ceremony, I ran all the way home and proclaimed to my family that we were the champions! Then it hit me.

The pursuit of champion status had been what I and my teammates and coaches had worked all season to attain. Now it was over. What now?

What if instead, you pursued excellence?

Excellence is defined as being outstanding or extremely good. That gives you a lot of latitude on how you define leadership excellence and excellence in your business.

To me, excellence is mastery.

From my martial arts training, the achievement of the status of 'master' is the result of years of work consisting of training, studying, practicing and execution, and the mindset to achieve it.

Mastery: The desire to get better at something that matters.

In his book, Drive, The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us Daniel Pink wrote that the desire to get better at something that matters is the quest for excellence. In short Mastery.

What is required for leaders and their companies to succeed in the twenty-first century is a new operating system to nurture higher levels of motivation built on autonomy, mastery and purpose. Why? To achieve excellence (not perfection).

We need deeper levels of engagement, more critical thinking, and more creative thinking moving from a paradigm of compliance thinking to engaged thinking. To thrive in the twenty-first century, these are a must.

The Three Laws

And according to Pink, there are three laws of mastery. Mastery is a mindset. Mastery is a pain. Mastery is an asymptote.

Mastery as a mindset is a choice. You recognize that intelligence is expandable and not fixed and that you have something more to learn. This is the foundation of your growth as a leader.

Mastery is a pain because there are no overnight successes. It takes years of effort, dedication and consistency. And it takes focusing on the small things, the details.

Lastly, what's an asymptote?

From algebraic mathematics, an asymptote is a straight line that a curved line approaches but never quite reaches. It is infinite.

You can strive for it, set it as your goal, hone your skills, and get really close to it, yet never fully achieve it.

The real beauty, the juice, the stuff of life is its pursuit for its own sake.

My commitment to achieving mastery drives me every day.

The desire to master my emotions, build relationships, and serve managing partners, CEOs and business leaders to help them be the best leaders they can be is my pursuit for its own sake.

What is your pursuit?

Until next time.