Why Perfection is your Worst Enemy in a Startup

If you’re an innovator, it’s more than likely that you’re equal parts imaginitive and perfectionist. For most of your life, your perfectionism has been an asset: after all, what’s wrong with getting 100% on your tests in school? Perfect marks are useful, that’s for sure, but when it comes to being an entrepreneur, you can’t be completely focused on checking all the boxes. So, why and how do you balance the grind towards success with the ability to adapt, grow, and learn?

First, the why: simply put, you can’t afford to let perfection ruin innovation and creativity. As an entrepreneur, you thrive on spontenaity. No matter what kind of company you’re starting, some of your drive for perfection needs to be second to your priority, which is innovation and disruption. The truth is, big companies are the ones that need to worry about perfection, but what sets you apart is your ability to build something new. Without creativity, you offer nothing new to whatever industry you’re entering, especially hospitality. ’Cause let’s face it, leaders of big hotels have the time to sit in office buildings discussing minute details, because they know their business depends on maintaining their current system as effectively as possible.

At its core, your company is either about maintenance or innovation.

It’s not for us to decide which one you’d rather pick, but if you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve probably already subconsciously decided on the latter. What this means is that you need to commit to innovation whole-heartedly: connect with people, feed your creative side, hear new ideas from your team member. THAT is what will secure success for you, not whether you got the perfect front desk chair or whether your powerpoint presentation is exactly 20 slides long. In the long run, none of that really matters when you’re trying to build the next big thing.

There’s the “why”; the “how” can be a little bit trickier. After all, many of us view perfectionism as an instrinsic personality trait that very nearly defines who we are. But just as you’ve let the traditional, office-job path go, you need to train yourself to loosen up a bit. Some good ways to do this are to have sticky notes on your computer with small reminders. My favorite reminder is “progress, not perfection,” because it gets to the point and serves as a constant nudge in the right direction. Additionally, make sure “progress, not perfection” is part of your company’s main values: hire team members who you think are adaptable, creative, and hardworking. Sure, the person with the highest marks on their transcript might look great, but you should be hiring people who will work well with you with enthusiasm and constant drive. And yes, you could be focusing on which font in your slideshow will most appeal to investors, but maybe you should be focusing on which of your ideas will most appeal to them.

In the end, it’s up to you whether or not (and how) creativity takes center stage at your startup. Just remember, perfectionism can drag down other assets when you’re trying to found a new company. Keep dreaming up new ideas, innovators!