Is Imperfect the New Perfect?
Posted on February 13, 2023 by Martin Haworth, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
Trying to be perfect when there is no such thing is exhausting and futile. Being as good as you can be and happy with that is all you need.
There’s not much perfect about me. I look a bit funny; I speak with a Northern accent; I carry a little too much weight, and I’m a bit last minute with things (I should be doing something else right now as this little thought crossed my mind!). So, I’m rather invested in the concept that imperfection is at least OK, if not indeed perfect in itself.
We spend a lot of time seeking perfection. The ‘perfect’ vacation. The ‘perfect’ school for our kids. The ‘perfect’ promotion. And yet, in real life – which most of us lead – we make do with less than perfection, because if things were perfect, where would the fun be anyway? Imperfect gives us challenges to overcome, and within those, we achieve great joy in the battles we fight.
If we seek perfection in things, how do we measure it? Is not our own idea of perfect, by definition, imperfect for someone else because it depends on how you see the world? Is perfection not a subjective assessment of something anyway? And everyone will find something not quite ‘perfect’ in anything. If you are at all engaged with the outside world, you will always find someone with a view that isn’t the same as yours. Have you ever watched a TV crime thriller where the prosecuting lawyer seemed to propose a ‘perfect’ assessment of why the one in the dock was guilty, only to find the defence brief able to find chinks in the case put forward?
Nothing is perfect.
So, here’s an idea. How about we accept that perfect is imperfect and visa-versa? That whilst we might seek out something to be as perfect as it might be, imperfect things are way more attractive, giving depth to our consideration of them, as well as something to strive for.
In the workplace, 90% will most often do. 90% of the perfection sought in an outcome; a project or a result. 90% will most often do, and for the wailing and gnashing of teeth each of us has to live through for someone to drive for the 100% that their perfection defines is, well, hardly worth it in the big picture of things.
Surely, achieving the vast majority of a goal is better to seek than the stresses of seeking someone’s definition of perfection. The harm it causes to efficiency and the impact on individuals’ confidence and risk-taking. After all, where would Edison be if, after he’d got his light-bulb wrong a thousand times, he found one that worked ‘OK’ and said, ‘Enough, that will do’?
I guess there are some occasions when as near to perfection as you can get is better. I suppose pretty close to perfection is important with an aeroplane’s wings, a heart pacemaker’s performance, or a deep-sea submarine. But they are not perfect. That extra zillionth of a per cent has to be given up, or we would get nothing done, ever.
For you and me, seeking the perfection that might suit us is an admirable – if unachievable – goal.
And being comfortable that our perfection is within the imperfections we can achieve – whilst being kind to ourselves within that – is a more realistic outcome.
Accepting this is perfection in itself.
