We live in a business world where we’re taught that perfection is the ultimate. We’re encouraged to pursue perfectionism in our careers, to the point where many of us are under tremendous pressure every day. But is perfection attainable?

Canberra’s Dr Kim Vella, an accredited executive career coach who holds a doctorate in sociology, says it’s not. Indeed, says Kim, perfectionism prevents you from being your brilliant best.

“Research tells us that the costs of perfectionism outweighs any benefits,” said Kim. “It can lead to job stress, workaholism, the inability to delegate, difficulty achieving work-life balance and health and wellbeing. It’s even been called ‘self-abuse of the highest order’.”

Kim advises us all to switch gears. “To overcome perfectionism you need to re-focus. You need to concentrate instead on becoming a high achiever who pursues a healthy sense of excellence and who celebrates sound accomplishments.”

Having coached many public and private sector leaders, Kim knows all too well that we’re trained to ‘think perfect’ in everything that we do, every single day. “It can even negatively affect the bottom line of a business, in that more time is put into a project or activity that is perhaps necessary. It can also lead to an increase in sick days, greater staff turnover from burnout, which is all very costly. To be honest, good is often good enough.”

So what do we need to do to change our thinking?

Here are some of Kim’s tips:

1. Don’t set impossible goals that cost you dearly, personally and professionally. Instead, set realistic goals.
2. Pat yourself on the back when you achieve a realistic goal. You’ll seen feel a welcoming sense of fulfilment.
3. Learn to not blame yourself or others when something isn’t perfect. Remember that you’re only human, and so is everyone around you.
4. Reality check your standards by being satisfied with doing your best. Even Olympic champions, when they don’t get the gold, understand that doing their best is fabulous.
5. Learn to knock back a request. Don’t do more work than is reasonably expected or actually required.
6. See professional help if you’re struggling with being a perfectionist, including through an executive career coach who is accredited (not all coaches are). Kim offers free 30-minute sessions to help you determine if coaching can help.

Want to learn more? Sign up to Kim’s newsletter and receive her free e-booklet: ‘How to recover from perfectionism: When perfectionism and your career collide.’