Is Constant Improvement a Trap of Perfectionism?

It may seem daunting or unnecessary, or even perfectionism, to work in systems when most of the time, after initially setting up processes, many will go into improving them with each iteration. Such dedication can be called obsessive or show that entrepreneurs are never satisfied with what they have now.

I believe that the very dissatisfaction that others see and dismiss as obsessive is the very drive of entrepreneurship.  It’s seeing that we are constantly growing and evolving, in lives and business and where the two overlap. I’m sure Emeril’s family might have wished he would stop changing the spice combinations in his meals every night or Stephen King’s family asked he would come up from the basement and stop revising the same sentence over and over again.

How else would the good get better and what better way to refine your skills and build confidence in your work?

There’s a natural drive when you’re immersed in and passionate about something you love doing – after all no one mocks Tiger Woods for practicing his drive or Venus Williams for perfecting her serve. The difference is that athletes train their muscle memories while most entrepreneurs need to remind the mental memories.

Even if you know what should be done, having a written record that can be referred to and taught is essential.  And that takes time to develop, it has to be customized to your business, to you and to your goals.

Once you have those systems in place and use them you’ll ensure that all the things you’re tracking, all the small things you measure are perfect.

So it’s not really obsessive to check every link in your e-zine before it goes live to ensure all the links work properly; it’s dedication to your message.

It’s not crazy to read your sales page for errors a final time before it goes live; it’s a commitment to excellence.

And it’s not nitpicking to ask your team to use a specific email signature; it’s consistency of branding.

Is constant improvement healthy?

There are many things about entrepreneurship that fly in the face of reason – after all we’re so often encouraged to slow down, appreciate what is without wishing for more and be content. All of that is great advice but when it comes to serving in business it’s okay to push for more so you can get your message out there, help more people and create a bigger impact.

The challenge is focusing on the things that will bring the most value and getting those spot on before addressing all the smaller things. After all, if your sales page doesn’t have any copy then you shouldn’t be worrying about the font choice. And if you’re unclear on your market and offer then don’t yet worry about advertising campaigns.

I’m not encouraging rigid, tight fisted control over everything in your environment – on the contrary – systems allow you to give responsibility to someone else without the fear and worry that usually accompanies delegation. With the proper systems you’re able to effectively clone yourself in your business so your team will perform tasks just as you would without your constant oversight.

But, isn’t it controlling to want everything just right?

Now this really comes down to your interpretation of controlling. Yes, it means you are in control of your business and taking personal responsibility for the outcomes. No, it doesn’t indicate that you’re a mean, bossy or rude person. It’s all in how you communicate and make improvements in a way that’s confident without being dictatorial.

One of my favorite elements of working with my private clients is understanding and learning from what did not go right. I love this time because it allows us to hone in on the 1% that isn’t working yet and fix it. Often I get to take a moment and call attention to the fact that 99% of our process, 99% of the system worked exactly how we wanted it to and celebrate that accomplishment. It’s okay to focus on the 1% and make adjustments until it’s perfect.

As entrepreneurs we know that perfect is always being challenged, we’re learning and adapting and growing every day.

To me, that’s the beauty of systems, once in place they can grow with us and support our businesses as things change all around us.