Women Leaders vs. Perfectionism:
A Strength or a Setback?

On the one hand, striving for perfection helps us to achieve high results, set high goals and strive for their realization. Some of us may have made a career or created a successful business because of this perfectionism. However, at the other end of the scale, perfectionism can be a real trap - it robs us of peace, creates excessive stress and even prevents us from enjoying our successes.

Why is the topic of perfectionism so important today? We live in a world where high standards, social expectations and pressure from others force women to constantly strive for perfection. Everything around us screams, “You have to be a successful career woman, a caring mother, wife and friend.” Ultimately, in the constant race for perfection, your prize may be burnout and depression.

Let's look at how perfectionism affects women in different areas of life.

Perfectionism can be a powerful tool if you utilize its energy in the right way. For women, especially those in leadership positions or building a career, striving for perfection can become not just a useful quality, but a real asset. Striving to do things to the highest level helps you achieve high standards and stand out from the competition.

When a woman strives for perfection, she doesn't just accomplish a task, she tries to do it 110%. This quality is evident in the way she organizes her team, manages projects and interacts with clients. A perfectionist isn’t satisfied with ordinary results, a woman is always looking for ways to improve the product, refine processes and maximize efficiency.

Perfectionism helps women in business or those who lead startups. To keep the attention of investors, grow the business and build a skilled dedicated team, you often need to do not just well, but at the level of global competition. This “peak perfection” becomes the norm that not only the woman herself, but also her team strive for. Perfectionism makes it possible to find ideal solutions, eliminate small flaws and ensure quality results at every stage.

Perfectionism helps women to be more confident. In moments when women feel that everything is done to the highest level, it gives them a sense of control over the situation and builds confidence in their abilities.

Perfectionism helps with the details. Women leaders often find themselves in situations where many factors need to be considered at once. These include strategic financial planning and small but important business nuances. And this is where attention to detail becomes a crucial skill. A perfectionist woman is able to pick the important things out of a multitude of tasks and focus on what really matters for the success of her project.

Thus, perfectionism can be the very force that allows women to achieve career goals, lead outstanding projects and be the leaders that other women aspire to be. What is important is to understand how to use perfectionism as a tool, rather than letting it become a source of stress.

Perfectionism has another side of the coin. Meticulous attention to detail can sometimes become a real problem for both the individual and people around. When a businesswoman is constantly chasing the perfect completion of every task and demands the same from others, it can lead to professional burnout and indecision.

Perfectionism enhances an imposter syndrome. For example, you get an opportunity to speak at a conference or launch a new project, but instead of agreeing, you think you're not prepared enough yet, you need to finalize a lot of small details. Eventually time passes, the opportunity is lost, and someone less qualified but more courageous takes the spot you could have applied for.

Perfectionist women are far more likely than men to suffer from “imposter syndrome” - the feeling that they're not good enough, even when the facts say otherwise. And this is one of the most serious obstacles perfectionism creates.

Perfectionism affects the speed of decision making. Perfectionism often hinders career development because it forces you to endlessly improve, revise, rewrite, and so on to infinity. You end up spending three times as much time on a task as you need to, and deadlines approach at an alarming rate.

But in the business world, speed matters. Decisions need to be made quickly, sometimes without full confidence in the outcome. But it's hard for a perfectionist to let go of control and do just fine if it could be done perfectly. The problem is that perfect can mean never.

Perfectionism creates a fear of making mistakes. The higher the striving for perfection, the greater the fear of making mistakes. Perfectionism makes you worry that any shortcoming or mistake will make you look bad. This is especially true for women executives who already face increased social scrutiny and societal expectations.

But you have to accept the fact that everyone makes mistakes. Moreover, mistakes are part of growth. The sooner you accept them as inevitable, the easier it will be for you to move forward. Leaders who allow themselves and their teams to make mistakes find effective solutions and grow faster.

Perfectionism leads to endless stress. When you set yourself the task of doing everything 100%, you risk burnout sooner or later. Constant tension, self-criticism, working without rest - you literally eat yourself up for every misstep and inattention. As a result, you are emotionally and professionally exhausted.

Instead of trying to do everything perfectly, try it:

• Determine where good enough is good enough and where it's really important to aim for the highest level.
• Give yourself permission to make mistakes and learn from it.
• Act faster without getting hung up on the little things.
• Take care of yourself, not just the result.

Perfectionism doesn't have to be completely gotten rid of. As we can see, it can also be a good ally in running a business. If you learn to manage it properly, perfectionism will only help your work rather than aggravate it.

Perfectionism is neither good nor bad. The main thing is to realize when it works for you and when it hinders you. Learn to find a balance, allow yourself to make mistakes and move forward, even if the result is not ideal. Because there is no such thing as a perfect moment, just like there is no such thing as a perfect project - there are only those that were done in time and to your advantage.