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When my company launched a community feature for our customers a couple of years ago, we made some incorrect assumptions in our messaging that derailed the campaign’s success. But when our creativity didn’t land, instead of learning from our mistakes, we made an even bigger error: we abandoned our efforts altogether. The truth? We were perfectionists struggling to face a fairly public failure. But instead of iterating on our campaign to improve it, we let it fizzle out.
They say perfection is the enemy of progress, and I’ve seen this play out both in my own career and with many entrepreneurs. No matter how genius an offering is, the pressure of getting everything just right can often delay — or completely derail — a launch.
Perfectionism is a well-known enemy of productivity, the root cause of many psychological disorders and a common answer to the interview question, “What is your biggest weakness?” But while we recognize perfectionism as a barrier to progress (and I certainly have), why do so many creative and innovative people still fall into its trap?
Perfectionism might not be a new hindrance, but it is on the rise – and not just with entrepreneurs. A culture of competitive individualism, amplified by social media, pressures all of us to be flawless and can seriously undermine our ability to succeed in business. In fact, it almost certainly guarantees failure.
The reality is, we all need to be able to take risks — and fail — in order to improve our work. Embracing the value of imperfection is the only viable way to get there.
Perfectionism can be downright damaging
As a recovering perfectionist, I now understand that perfectionists are more than just uptight overachievers. They can obsess over meeting exceptionally high standards and unrealistic expectations. They can even be highly self-critical and fear criticism from others. And yet many go into their entrepreneurial journey by comparing themselves to those who have already hit it big, blind to any mistakes those role models made along the way.
Nearly every entrepreneurial success story is built on the back of countless failures – and many entrepreneurs are famous for it. But I’ve witnessed personally how striving for perfection from the outset doesn’t lead to a successful offering. In fact, the results can be the opposite: no launch at all. Perfectionism often holds would-be entrepreneurs and creators back from sharing their unique genius with the world and getting a finished product out in the market. However, there are ways to overcome it. And I should know: I’m still working on overcoming it myself.
Fail small, win big
After the communities launch failure (which, fortunately, was a small one in the grand scheme of things), I learned an invaluable lesson: the best way to handle failure is by examining it, embracing it and using it to improve, not by hiding from it and pretending it didn’t happen.
Nowadays, we approach our launches much differently – in phases that allow us to test the waters, get feedback from our customers, and iterate on our approach and messaging until it hits just right.
Making mistakes is par for the course in business, but learning from them and correcting the course is the only way to turn them into a net positive. Many of the most successful creators go a step further and share their failures publicly. Patreon’s CEO Jack Conte calls it normalizing the duds, and his approach is pure storytelling genius: a balance of humility and humor that makes his failures feel like an actual work of art.
Getting past perfectionism
As a recovering perfectionist, I know that embracing imperfectionism is easier said than done. We’re all operating within a hyper-competitive and often unforgiving business climate where every move (especially wrong moves made publicly) can be ruthlessly analyzed and criticized. We’ve all seen the chilling effects cancel culture has on individuals and businesses that have made irreparable mistakes.
Moving past perfectionism means intentionally taking calculated risks and baking blunders right into the development process. Here are a few strategies we use to make that process more palatable:
- Connect with a community of peers: Sharing imperfect work is easier when those around us are doing it too. Getting connected to a community of entrepreneurs in trial-and-error mode is the best way to see that you’re not alone. In fact, by becoming an entrepreneur, you’re part of a group of people in the business of overcoming failure. Whether you find that group through a coworking space or a software-related community, look to others who can accept critical feedback and allow it to inform progress.
- Adopt a coaching mindset: Reminding yourself that nobody’s perfect is helpful because even seasoned experts make mistakes. Redefining the way I perceive failure (and success) meant rebranding missteps as an opportunity to iterate. You can even rewire your brain to appreciate critical feedback for the gift it is.
- Look beyond the launch: Product, campaign or company launches often create an intensity that brings out your best work, but leaning into them too much can lead to a letdown – especially if the results don’t meet your expectations. I often tell my team not to put too much creative energy into something that will likely need to change once it’s in market. Even if it’s flawed, I know we’ll learn something as soon as it goes live that will enable us to improve it.
The truth is, we all have moments of uncertainty. But no matter how uncomfortable it feels to put your creative work out there for judgment, the reality is that people will judge it whether you think it’s perfect or not. Accept that fact, cut yourself some slack and don’t let the idea of perfection hold you back from sharing your unique genius. Done is better than perfect, after all.
