Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

WARNING - This could get deep!

What do you do when you come to the realization that "the biggest problem in my business is me?"

It seems that one step in the right direction is to admit it. How do you change deeply entrenched attitudes and behaviors that are holding you back? I`m thinking things like perfectionism, excessive self-reliance (no doubt just the tip of the iceberg).

Any thoughts?


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Hmm. This is a really tough question.

Perfectionism

Perfectionism isn`t a problem if you are acting in the best interest of your customers, especially if your customers have high expectations. For example, your business makes food products. Perfectionism here is a matter of real importance; your products have to taste good, be safe to eat, adhere to regulations, etc. In this case, I would think perfectionism is reasonably justified. You have to adhere to many standards in this respect, right?

After all, it would only take one two poor experiences with your products to drive down sales, assuming these experiences were spread across enough of your customer base. Like most consumers, I rely on the assumption that the food I buy is safe but I do worry about it nonetheless. Some years ago I spent an afternoon in an urgent care center after becoming *seriously* ill with food poisoning. By seriously ill, I mean the doctor watched me for a few hours to see if I would have to be admitted to the hospital. I also spent three days feeling sicker than at any other point in my life. Perfectionism with respect to food product safety is warranted.

Delivering on brand promise and user experience isn`t a bad thing, and some perfectionism is in order. A lot of businesses are slowly ruined by management who doesn`t care about customer experience or a well-run operation. Perfectionism has its place as long as it is actually contributing to the top/bottom line and to the general wellbeing of an operation. Perfectionism becomes a problem when you deliver a great experience but you don`t believe it`s good enough or you focus on "flaws" that are little more than figments of your imagination.

You have to sort out the "real" from the "imagined". Sometimes perfectionism is a reflection of unrealistic standards. Does your perfectionism include micro-managing the way twist ties are fastened to the bags that contain your product? Does it include making sure there are very few loose crumbs in packages of cookies? Does it include making sure that the surface of each cookie has an acceptable number of visible raisins? That might be taking things a bit too far if your operation is not designed to execute to that level-of-detail.

Self-Reliance

The issues of perfectionism and excessive self-reliance are fear and anxiety driven. I call this, from my own experiences "business anxiety" and of course these are the result of the pressures of being in business. If you are in charge of an operation, there is naturally a lot of pressure to perform because high performance execution generates good results and success. Are you are worried about execution to the point that you take over everything? If so you need to write out the reasoning behind your brand promise and make sure that it`s communicated to everyone involved. Once people understand your "obsession" it can become their "obsession" as well. But when it`s locked inside your mind alone, your focus on quality might seem completely neurotic to someone who doesn`t realize that packages containing even one broken cookie result in higher store returns.

This is just such an easy way to work and instead of barking orders or making rules that people perceive as arbitrary or strange, you simply say "this is our brand promise, this is the promise we make and that`s why we have to worry about these details". It`s so much easier to work with people who understand *why* you want something specific rather than just issuing edicts that people might/might not understand. Get your people behind your brand promise! If necessary put up signs and posters with the brand promise guidelines. Show people why they are stakeholders in your brand promise.

For me, excessive self-reliance was part of the learning process... I`m not good at everything... in fact I can be *quite* or even *excessively* incompetent if I have to deal with matters outside my area of expertise. In terms of quality, I generate poor results when I don`t delegate to people who have more experience or the relevant experience that I lack. It`s a bit of arrogance to assume that you`re good at everything, right? Delegation - letting go - actually leads to better quality as long as your staff is educated on the reasons behind your quality decisions, strategy, and so forth.

It`s utterly amazing what even a little information will do. Share your concerns with staff but share them in terms of reasoned thinking. Not arbitrary thinking. Build a foundation that is results oriented with clear reasoning.

the biggest problem in my business is ALWAYS me

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James Lindon, Ph.D. Patent Attorney
Lindon & Lindon, LLC
Cleveland, Ohio
Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, Pharmacy Law, Litigation
[this is not legal advice - provided for discussion only]
Intellectual Property for the Individual and Small Business: Identify, Protect, Enforce, Defend.
"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
http://www.LindonLaw.com

Perfectionism is relative. Perfect craftsmanship or visual presentation or any other action is relative. In order to know that something is perfect it must be compared to something else. If you are a perfectionist, I think is only becomes a problem when you are being or doing perfection acts that others don’t find value in. If your customers don’t car that there is air conditioning in the vehicle they buy, then there isn’t much use of putting one in every car. With that said, I am sure every buyer would be happy to get air conditioning in the car if they don’t have to pay for it.

I have worked along side people who feel their completed work was perfect. They even called themselves “perfectionists.” They noted that their “perfectionist” behavior is why they don’t get along with many co-workers. In reality they are using the word “perfectionist” to describe their unwillingness to take, and use, criticism of their work. Their “perfectionist” claim, only allows their poor behavior to continue and they produce mediocre projects, which in their own minds are “perfect.”

If you are concerned about being a perfectionist, look to what your perfection produces. Is it really that important to others? Or is it mostly important to you. Is your perfection truly perfect. Have others compare your products (or what ever you think is perfect) with other products… If you can get honest answers, listen to them.

Coke and Pepsi do “taste tests.” Stain remover companies try to out launder each other. Do a real test to discover the value in your skills. It is perfectionism or just the fact that it gets done. You might find you can please just as many people and do less work.


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Vincent Wilcox (a.k.a. KRAKR)
Drummer
My band: Letters Make Words

Perfectionism is a completely internal process. I don`t put out a product unless I know it`s my best. It`s not about doing more or less work ... and it doesn`t matter what the clients think ... I need to do the best so I can sleep at night.

So what do *I* do?
Well,
a) I don`t have co-workers and I don`t work for someone else`s values.
b) I launched my own company so I could select other people to work here that were as insane as I am.
c) I adjusted my model ... I know that I limit my income with having to do my best work, and that`s OK with me. It`s quality over quantity.

I think we should just start a little club, like Insane Anon.

When I refer to perfectionism being a problem I`m not talking about product quality. We always have and will continue to produce products of the highest quality.

I`m thinking more about intangibles. One thing that comes to mind is the process of selecting a brand identity. We`re working on that phase of a new product line development and I should say we`re happy with the outcome. The problem is the time it took to get there. Lately I just feel like I`m driving with the brakes on.

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I could have saved huge $$$$$$$$$$$ if I wouldn`t have been in such a hurry!

Originally, with my business, I settled for good enough, now that`s a mistake! It took several years of being reactive before I turned things around for myself and my company- completely! Believe it or not, some of my greatest success came from this site. I asked for honest evaluation of my site and price point. Thanks to sincerely good, quality, honest people, I spent two months, found a new manufaturer and cut my cost in half! My pricing went from 99.95 to 49.95 and sales finally shot right up there!

Don`t be in such a hurry to succeed that you settle! I hope this helps~

Diana www.theappreciationstation.com

 

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Are you a parent or have friends that are parents? Tell them about The Appreciation Station... the most innovative system to help parents be the best they can be through positive discipline. When you notice what`s right as opposed to what`s wrong, you begin to see dramatic results in your household.

It`s an interesting question, one that directly conflicts with the concept the the Universe isn`t broken.

In other words, you ARE who you are, which is what went into coming up with the idea for the business, the organization and development of that business, and your entire life. So if you weren`t you, there would be no business.

One way to approach this is to split apart "you" from your "actions." It`s not really useful to try and change who you are---your basic identity. However, anyone can change their actions and habits, if they become consciously aware of those actions and habits.

I very rarely suggest advice from a psychologist, because in my opinion, too many psychologists haven`t a clue of what they`re talking about. However, there is one instance where working with a psychologist comes in handy: That`s in getting an outside "view" of one`s own actions.

A good psychologist ought to be like a three-dimensional mirror. They should be able to not only see a set of actions you`re performing, but also the underlying cause and motivations for those actions.

One option would be to visit a few psychologists with someone you trust, who particularly sees one or two of these problematic "things" going on in your life. First, get a feeling yourself as to whether or not a particular psychologist would work for you.

But!...since often times we don`t want to hear the truth about ourselves, your associate/friend or advisor can be a "check and balance." If a particular psychologist rubs you the wrong way, in some cases it`s because they`re telling you the truth. If you don`t really want to hear it, that may be why they`re not "feeling right." So you need some objective advice as to if that might be exactly the right psychologist for you.

One of the hardest things for many people to understand is how to think objectively. But while they`re learning the process, the easier thing is to simply get someone *else* to validate one`s thoughts and feelings. By definition, that other viewpoint is objective.
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Addendum: That presupposes you "believe" that people have a subconscious mind that can easily work completely against the conscious desires and plans. If you don`t accept that basic proposition, then there`s no point in following through on the field of psychology.

Thanks to all for their well considered responses. I want to take time this weekend to read each response in greater depth and consider them.

Here`s the motivation behind the original post. I want to grow in my roles in our business. Growth implies change.

Nikole raises some interesting questions. In my mind I always justified perfectionism in programming based on the number of times a program would be used. The additional effort expended in making a program "perfect" were amortized, or spread out, over the thousands of times the program was run. I wonder if what might be an asset in one field might be a liability in another.

Vincent also makes some interesting points. I`m not sure if there is a psychological term for this but I believe in our daily lives we train people around us how to respond to us. If someone won`t readily receive advice, how many people stop giving them any?




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There are differences between perfectionism, a desire for quality, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

One other comment, regarding perfectionism being a relative standard. The standard of measure can be someone else`s actual product---something made in the real world. Or, the comparison can be with an ideal. Ideals are logical abstractions.

In other words, someone might say things "should be the way they ought to be." But if that`s a personal judgement based on their own feelings, it`s different from an analytic judgement about a definable ideal.

How someone responds to change is also directly connected with their willingness to accept risk. It`s that the risk often involves personal identity, not just "things" like money and possessions.