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June 25, 2015 By Amanda Kaiser

Perfectionism is Bad for Our Associations

perfectEvery time I see a typo, spelling or grammar error in one of my own published blog posts I silently scold myself. I’ve worked for big brands and for advertising agencies and each company has their own arduous process for checking, editing and correcting each and every error. Dozens of eyes, in a process that can take weeks, will make sure that the customer never sees a typo. Perhaps because of this training or perhaps because of my own perfectionistic tendencies I hate to see typos in my own work.

However I am only one person. I realize that if I commit to ensuring that no typos ever publish on this blog I would never write another post. Yes, I want my work to be good, great even, but perfect does more harm than good. The same goes for assocaitions.

Many associations have:

  • Perfectionistic tendencies
  • Perfectionistic processes
  • Perfectionistic rewards
  • Perfectionistic staff
  • A perfectionistic mindset

Over the years we’ve strived for perfectionism. Members let us know when they see little or big mistakes. We learn to not let mistakes go out the doors. But, there is a price to pay for perfectionism. Creating perfect work:

  • Takes time
  • Hogs up resources
  • Encourages rework
  • Is not innovative
  • Can make us seem stuffy, sanitized, institutional, and devoid of personality

When our members are demanding a better association. When our industry is in flux. When associations, themselves, are in the middle of a revolution do we really want to embrace perfectionism? Strive to be good, strive to be great even but should we strive for perfect? No thanks.

Related:

  • Are you looking for sticks? Problem solving and our brains
  • The big problem you will face with innovation
  • For association professionals who dare greatly

Filed Under: Association Strategy Tagged With: formula for success, innovative, institutional, perfectionism, resources, risk, success

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