Every team has perfectionists among its ranks. Maybe that perfectionist is you! While a drive to exceed expectations can be a good thing, perfectionism can also lead to self-criticism, poor workplace performance and even burnout.
Perfectionists also often have difficulty delegating because they’re convinced they need to handle the exacting work. This causes them to hoard assignments, spend time tweaking unimportant details or micromanaging — all of which can exhaust the individual and create low team morale.
As a leader who wants to drive results and provide work-life balance for your team, delegation is a must. Here’s how to help your team (or your perfectionist self) feel more comfortable about letting go.
Consider the cost. “Over functioning” can cause others to “under function.” When you do it all and fix every situation, others don’t have the chance to step up. Delegation isn’t a punishment, it’s a chance for your team to grow, learn and acquire new skills. Perfectionism can also affect your well-being, detracting from your leadership potential and signaling to higher-ups that you’re not ready for more responsibility.
Start small. Perfectionists often fall into all-or-nothing thinking, keeping all work to themselves or handing off a lot of projects at once. This fails because comfort with delegation has to be built in stages, for both your own and your team’s sake. Start by delegating low-stakes tasks that:
• Are administrative, tedious and take a lot of your time
• Require a straightforward, repeatable process that can be easily taught
• Necessitate a specialized skill set you don’t have
This not only builds your confidence that your team member can do the job, but also builds the person’s sense of mastery and competency with the task. Research shows that the perception of progress creates an upward spiral that begets more ownership, creativity and motivation.
Share responsibility. As the delegator, your job is to define the “what,” or the final deliverable, and the “why,” or the context and purpose. Be clear about your expectations and criteria for success, but delegate authority over how the task is accomplished. This requires you to let go of rigid, perfectionist thinking and the assumption that there is one “right” way to achieve a result.
Also drop the idea that you must have a task exquisitely mapped out before you delegate it. Instead, approach delegation as a thought partnership. Invite your team member into the process. For example, ask them to propose assignments they’d like to work on and have them share ideas as to what they can take off your plate.