What Wildly Successful Business Leaders and Writers Have in Common

“The fastest way to break the cycle of perfectionism is... indeed to embrace uncertainty and imperfection.”

-Arianna Huffington

In an era of hyper-perfectionism, mastering imperfection might be the most powerful leadership tool in your toolkit.

Why?, you ask. Because on the real, perfection isn’t real.

Sure we struggle with it, the need to do things perfectly the first time, every time. Many of today’s founders and leaders are paralyzed by perfectionism. In fact, a recent study found that perfectionism has increased over the past 2½ decades, as much as 33%, mainly due to people becoming more “individualistic, materialistic and socially antagonistic.”

AND… now, more than ever, leaders understand that perfection doesn’t exist. It’s literally an unsustainable myth. Take, for example, this sketch of Susan, a fictional leader, who, as a result of her perfectionism, ends up creating more stress and work for herself as her team refuses to keep up with her unrealistic expectations. The wasted energy, time spent mico-managing, not to mention basic trust that gets lost between colleagues over the pursuit of perfectionism is wack.

Perfect aspires to achieve what Progress consistently delivers: micro-wins over time. The same is true for the poet, playwright and novelist. The early stages of writing or creating are so often messy and imperfect and require revision later. Being OK with imperfection allows stories to surface as uncut gems, raw and real, from deep inside the writer. The writer can rest knowing that not everything on the page has to be fit for publication or presentation. There is a deep sense that the “ugly parts” are vital elements of the work, and finished product. In the early stages of discovery and exploration, the writer’s only commitment to an idea or inspiration is to the freedom of the open page. And the good leader—the resonant, self-reflective, humble, transformative, compassionate leader— know this, too.