Perfection vs. Excellence (Business, Career, Life Coaching Series)

 "(Howard) Hughes never learned how to convert his knowledge to practical application. Instead he sought a perfection that assured failure."
- From Empire: The Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes
by Donald L. Bartlett & James B. Steel

How many times have you heard someone (it may have been you) proclaim or complain that he/she is a perfectionist? You may have noticed that going for perfection is a fool's game. You simply cannot win when you set perfection as your standard.

There may be rare and unusual situations where perfection is assumed to be an appropriate standard. Frankly, I can't think of one - no, not even life and death situations such as heart surgery demand perfection in the process. Each stitch does not have to be sewn perfectly in order to affect the outcome. Perfection is present in the ultimate result, as evident in the patient's survival or death, not in the process.

When "perfection" is the goal it is usually out of an exaggerated desire to be right, to avoid criticism or risk. The focus is on "how am I doing?" rather than on producing a specific outcome. Excellence, on the other hand, is a way of life. It is the context in which high achievers and peak performers produce and contribute to the quality of life. High achievers and peak performers get things done by taking action looking for appropriate outcomes and measuring their success based on the quantity and quality of their results.

The bad news is that being a human being means we have the abilities and the failings of human beings. We make mistakes. We get tired. We get distracted. We fail to communicate clearly and accurately. When we set perfection as our goal, all of our actions are based on attempts to conquer our natural human limits with little or no intention on the ultimate outcome. The search for perfection limits our ability to act meaningfully.

Acting in accordance with standards of excellence allows us to produce superb results and opens the door to experimentation and creativity.

About the Author

Ruth Zanes has been a Business, Career and Personal Success Coach since 1985. Her broad range of experience prior to coaching includes consultant, business ownership and corporate executive for some of the world’s largest corporations. Contact Ruth at: http://www.unlimitedresourcesinc.com

 Ruth Zanes

More Articles 

How to choose an online university degree program that will actually help your career - Hal McIver
Undoubtedly, an online degree can further your career aspirations. However, choosing a program can be a confusing process. One way of identifying a suitable program is to list your goals and then go through the listed programs carefully to see...

Intuition: The secret to your career success - Michelle L Casto
Intuition: The Secret to Your Career Success Michelle L. Casto, M.Ed. For far too long, we moderns have relied on our analytical/logical brain to make important life decisions. It is my belief that our imaginative/creative brain holds the key to...

JobSniper.com to provide Professional Career Evaluation and Career Tools for BizjournalsHire.com - Job Sniper Staff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Tucson, AZ – JobSniper.com, the Internet’s number one rated jobs meta-search engine*, and BizjournalsHire.com, the new media division at American City Business Journals, today announced the deployment of JobSniper’s free...

Lose your career and find a new life! - Cathy Goodwin MBA PhD
I hear from many people who feel trapped in a career after fifteen or twenty happy, productive years. It's been a good ride, they say, but now it's time to jump off the train. They want to fulfill a creative dream, recover from burnout or just try...

Crucial research to catapult your interview performance and your career - Annemarie Cross
Millions of dollars are spent annually on marketing research by savvy companies aiming to maximize their marketing dollars when showcasing their products and services to their prospective clients. They recognize that to capture the attention of a...

Career Choices and Self Employment - Caitlin Crosain
Anyone who is trying to determine their career choice can easily be intimidated these days to say the least. With so much to offer, where does one begin? Perhaps we would all benefit from time to time to think about what it is that gives us the...

Using an Entrepreneurial Mindset in your Career - Scott Brown
People who come to the United States from other countries see America as the Land of Opportunity. This isn't just a cliche -- if you talk to recent immigrants, they'll tell you this is how they really feel. This country wasn't founded by...

Biotechnology Careers - George Royal
Taking up a job in biotechnology means involving oneself in the development of new products and processes for the good of mankind and quality of life. Before one seriously considers a career in biotechnology, it is imperative to have...

Career vs Business - Dennis McPartlan
When professional guidance counselors speak to high school or college age students and ask them what they want to do for a living after they finish their education they almost invariably say, "I want to have my own business." They give them...

The Ultimate Career Builder - Mike Hayden
THE ULTIMATE CAREER BUILDER. See full color web version at: http://www.SeniorManagementServices.com/pvt-105-career-builder.html Last week, I discussed "Success is no Accident." My message was that according to research, most businesses fail...

Five Ways for Women to Accelerate Their Career - Roxanne Batson
While the corporate world may no longer be a man's game, the sad truth is that businesswomen are still paid less than men for the same positions, and fewer women than men fill the top positions. Further, when a woman is assertive and works hard...

Turbo Charge Your Career With The Most Powerful Leadership Tool Of All: The Leadership Talk (Part One) - Brent Filson
PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to...