TNN
So how are perfectionists perceived at work? “Those who admire perfectionism would steadfastly appreciate, understand and applaud a perfectionist. To these people, perfectionists are seen as those who challenge the barriers. Others would look at perfectionists as fastidious, fussy and individualistic people,” believes Arun Rao, vice president - HR, AppLabs.
Pradeep Menon, chief people officer, Cellcast India feels that envy is often behind the negative reactions perfectionists are treated to from coworkers.
“Perfectionists are dreaded by their team as they relentlessly pursue perfection but at the end of the day, their creations speak for themselves,” he adds.
Elaborating further on how Cellcast views this issue, he says, “We have put a very different entry selection mechanism at Cellcast; we not only evaluate people on their past qualifications and work, but also look for signs of having displayed an interest in perfection.
Past successes and qualifications are no measure for future success but with the right attitude, we can get closer to success. This attitude towards perfection is then nurtured at Cellcast.”
But perfectionists can’t be perfect, can they? Menon certainly thinks so. “I don’t see any cons; it is pros all the way and every organisation should value such contributors,” he avers.
Rao takes a more balanced viewpoint, “The pros are - world beating output, very high levels of customer delight and a high level of intrinsic motivation among the workforce. Some of the cons could be a lack of team play; perfectionism may lead to too many individual players leading to the possibility of missing timelines more often than never and there would be a high demand of time and organisational attention.”
Thus, perfectionism, as a personal trait, is extremely praise-worthy . However, the desire for perfection from others should be limited to a motivating and guiding influence, coupled with respect for the fact that not every individual can be as totally driven to perfection as you are.
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