Perfection Is the Enemy of Progress

Jul 16, 2023

Progress vs Perfection

As a manager, you always seek new methods to motivate your team and achieve your objectives. This is where the notion of "progress over perfection" comes into play - it's an excellent approach to staying focused, motivated, and making the most of your time and resources.

It's natural to want everything to be flawless, but some things might go differently than planned. You may miss some deadlines, the budgets might get altered, and unanticipated obstacles occur. However, if you get overly focused on perfection, you risk being mired down in the specifics and losing sight of the overall picture.

That is why it is critical to value progress above perfection. You'll keep your team motivated and engaged if you focus on making steady, constant progress toward your goals, and you'll be able to change your path as needed to overcome hurdles and problems.

Nothing is Ever Carried Out Exactly as it is Envisioned

Things sometimes go differently than planned in the workplace for several reasons. Circumstances might change at any time, necessitating the need to revise plans. Limited knowledge and human fallibility might also explain why things sometimes go differently than imagined. 

Unanticipated obstacles, misunderstandings, and unexpected bottlenecks can influence a project's success. These difficulties are unavoidable in running the company and can occur anytime, but it is critical to remember that they do not determine your success. 

If you adopt a progress-over-perfection approach, you can stay focused on your objectives and achieve success even when things don't go as planned.

The Benefits of Putting Progress Over Perfection

Prioritizing progress above perfection as a manager may bring several advantages. 

For starters, it keeps your team members motivated and engaged. Your staff will feel empowered to take risks, be more creative and imaginative, and enjoy their work if you focus on making steady progress rather than stressing over every tiny detail. 

Furthermore, prioritizing success allows you to change your goals as needed, which is critical in a continuously changing business environment.

Another significant advantage of prioritizing progress over perfection is that it enables you to be more sensitive to difficulties and changes. When you're not preoccupied with making everything perfect, you're free to pivot and adjust as needed, which is an essential ability for any manager. 

And, of course, focusing on progress increases your chances of meeting your objectives and delivering good results.

As a manager, adopting a progress-over-perfection perspective is a wise decision. It will assist you in leading your team to success while keeping everyone motivated, involved, and having fun!

In conclusion, as a manager, it's crucial to understand that perfection is the enemy of progress. Don't let fear of not being "ready" hold you back from getting started on a project. Accept that nothing is done precisely as planned and be flexible to little modifications and errors. 

This kind of thinking will motivate your team to work more and strive harder, potentially leading to even better results than the original plan. So, leap and get going! Your progress will be worthwhile.

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