Managing Perfectionism as a Leader
The Insight:
Perfectionist leaders often become micromanagers because they believe no one else can deliver work to their standards.
This creates a vicious cycle: you don't trust your team to do things "right," so you control every detail, which prevents them from developing capability, which reinforces your belief that only you can do it properly. Meanwhile, your stress skyrockets as you try to personally ensure every output is flawless.
The paradox is that perfectionism, meant to ensure quality, actually reduces team performance and your own effectiveness. The solution isn't lowering standards - it's learning to achieve excellence through others by defining what "good enough" looks like, teaching rather than controlling, and accepting that different approaches can yield quality results.
The Tool: Standards Calibrator
4 steps to try now
01.
Define 'Good Enough' vs. 'Perfect'
Articulate
Write down specific criteria for different quality levels rather than relying on gut feelings.
For each major work type, define three levels: Minimum acceptable, Good enough (ready to share/use), and Exceptional (worth extra time).
Be explicit: "Good enough for a client proposal means accurate data, clear recommendations, and professional formatting. Exceptional means compelling storytelling and innovative solutions." Share these so your team knows when to stop improving versus keep pushing.
02.
Teach Your Standards Instead of Imposing Them
Invest
When work doesn't meet expectations, resist redoing it yourself.
Instead, explain your thinking: "Here's what I'm looking for and why" rather than "This is wrong." Share examples of what good looks like. Walk through your quality checklist together.
This builds capability rather than dependence. The goal is transferring your standards to them, not maintaining control. Initially this takes more time, but it's an investment in future independence.
03.
Create Check-in Points, Not Check-up Points
Support
Design review moments that support their process rather than control it. Instead of reviewing every draft, establish milestone reviews: "Let's align on approach before you start" and "Show me the structure before you write the full version."
Ask: "What feedback would be most helpful at this stage?" Give input on direction and priorities, then trust them to execute details.
If you must make detailed corrections, do it collaboratively for future independence.
04.
Monitor Your Stress Signals and Delegate Differently
Practice
Notice when perfectionism drives micromanagement behaviours.
Physical signs: reviewing the same work multiple times, staying late to fix others' work, or feeling anxious about delegating important tasks. Mental signs: thinking "it's faster to do it myself" or "they'll never get it right."
When you catch these patterns, ask: "What's the worst thing if this isn't perfect?" Practice delegating work that matters - start with lower-stakes projects and build tolerance for different approaches achieving the same outcome.
Why it works
This approach maintains high standards while reducing your stress and building team capability. It separates what needs your personal attention from what needs your standards, allowing you to scale quality through others.
Use it when
You find yourself redoing others' work, staying late to perfect team deliverables, feeling anxious about delegating important tasks, or noticing your team waits for your approval on decisions they could make.
Bonus tip
Ask your team: "What decisions are you bringing to me that you could make yourself?" Their answers will reveal where your perfectionism might be creating unnecessary bottlenecks.
