Business performance: Four ways high standards hold you back

Standards are undoubtedly great to have for good business performance. They provide us with guidance and something to aspire to. But setting too high standards can work against us, counter intuitive as this may seem.

Here are four of the downsides I have witnessed to possessing very high standards and the impact they can have on business performance:

Compulsiveness

Sometimes we can become so blinded by our own high standards that we neglect other, very important factors in our projects, businesses and lives in general. We end up cultivating tunnel vision. We won’t rest, celebrate or reflect until our high standards are realised. People around us can become frightened by such behaviour and may choose to work elsewhere.

Alienation and restriction

We can often pass up extraordinary opportunities just because our initial judgement declared a particular opportunity as not being up to par. When this happens often enough, we end up living in our own little worlds with our own rules. We slowly become isolated from reality and our business performance suffers. Keeping your options open gets interpreted as compromising on standards, by those who defend them too staunchly. It is always better to reserve judgement just in case there’s been an error with the “initial screening”.

Never feeling satisfied or fulfilled

It’s quite difficult to feel satisfied or fulfilled when the set standards are so far out of reach. For some people they can even become moving targets! This empty or hollow feeling can stick around for a long time and lead to a not-so-healthy psychological state (yes, I’m talking about depression). And is it really worth it? Why put yourself through so much pain when a few notches down the standards hierarchy will suffice?

Procrastination and delay

If everything has to be perfect before it can be officially released or shown to anybody then it’s no surprise that deadlines aren’t met or things in general are held up. This behaviour can sabotage projects for reasons not immediately obvious to clients or colleagues, even if you are in charge of the project. Sometimes it comes down to the wire and the trade off is: perfection versus missing the project deadline. Perfectionists are blinded to the fact that missing the project deadline has much larger implications.

The thing about standards is that they often exist in our minds only. Others respect them up to a point but once we cross that , we’re venturing into territory that we’re best to keep away from.

So should you drop those pesky standards? Well, if you and those close to you or around you consider them as being slightly too high, then yes, consider revising them. Have standards that are realistic but still stretch you.

What usually succeeds in the marketplace is not the most perfect product anyway. It’s the most appropriate product. And that is a completely different ball game with completely different rules. All our work efforts should satisfy the rules associated with the most appropriate product before we get carried away with the idea of perfecting it.

Paul J. Morris is an information systems strategist. This incredible title means that he helps businesses become more efficient at what they do while keeping them on track with their goals.

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When I first heard the saying, "Perfection is the lowest standard" I get upset and angry since I also did things perfectly. As an entrepeneur, I understand that having something done, even if it is not perfect, is worth much more than having nothing done. I talked about this more in this article http://ezinearticles.com/?id=271790 Rod Sherwin from Melbourne, Australia
Paul, I really think you've hit the mark. I do have exceptionally high standards for myself and, therefore, for those around me, which can be tough on them. But, sometimes it takes something unexpected to bring yourself down a notch to a level on par with reality. For me that was my first car accident in 20 years of driving. Thankfully, it was very minor and my initial reaction was to be angry with myself for making such a bad mistake. In the 4 weeks since it happened I've had time to rationalise it more and now realise that it just means that I'm not someone perfect, I'm just a normal person like everyone else. I don't think I'll stop having standards but every time I find myself wandering over to the 'perfect' side of things again, I'll just have to think of the big blue mercedes that ended my run of 'perfect' driving and realise that some things are just more important - like my son and I being okay, and nothing more than my pride being hurt. Karen Morris from Sydney | Read my articles
Alright, alright - I'll stop proofing and reproofing and just publish my book! Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
I agree. the most important standards are to remain true to yourself and your values. The rest, like everything else in life is just part of the journey.
From being a person who was once easily stuck in analysis paralysis mode, my coach has supported my growth in learning that it is far better to have begun, taken action and be refining and improving than to have never made a move.
In the words of Henry Ford
You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.
www.leadingvalue.net Heidi Alexandra Pollard from Warners Bay NSW
I disagree, it is always worth trying to seek perfection and do the best job you can possibly do. Quality is what makes you a better choice than others in the same field. Sadly it doesn't make you rich! Jane Davies from London
I now understand why my boss would get frustrated at me because my vision of the finished project was an additional 20 hours of work, than the boss had envisioned.
The great thing about being solo, is if I want to work 15 hours a day, and reduce my billable rate from $100 an hour to approx. $15 hour, it is my prerogative, and I face the consequences.
I guess I need to read that book ‘how to cut corners and deliver perfection’ has anyone written it yet?
Heather Smith from BrisVegas

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