Perfectionist Tendencies

Ever since I was young I have been showcasing my perfectionist tendencies through daily tasks and work ethic. I always take pride in my work, thus I always ensure everything is completed at my full potential. Even the smallest tasks I perform, I always strive to give my best effort to ensure I receive the results I intended. But ever since I started my own company, I have been able to realize that sometimes perfection isn’t the most important element of completing a task. Entrepreneurship has forced me to step out of my comfort zone of perfectionism. Early on when you start a company you realize that results are not always as expected.  When you work on projects and strive to make everything perfect, it is important to understand that these features and versions are not always set in stone. As Reid Hoffman says, “If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late”. I realize now that when I first started Urban-Expression dance company and The Dance Link, I became obsessed with such small irrelevant projects even though the finished product would change in the future. I realize now that I wasted precious time and stressed out on tasks that seemed so complex at the time but actually ended up being irrelevant. This realization makes me laugh because even looking through some old projects I understand that if I were to do the same task today the results would be totally different. All of the hours I may have put into a task previously, that provided a project with no extra benefit definitely would be finished sooner and updated later. This is an important business experience because we live in a fast paced world that is constantly changing, therefore being able to update a product consistently to consumer preferences is key.

The Kaizen Model

Entrepreneurship has definitely given me the ability to move away from my perfectionist tendencies and approach projects with an ongoing view of improvement. It is true that I always try my best and try to make things perfect but I am now even more open to making changes in the future. I have figured out a fantastic way of solving problems in which I am able to complete a task and come back to it later with a better grasp and a new ideas. Although this seems like an obvious approach to completing tasks, as a perfectionist it isn’t because I always strive to make things perfect the first time around. But in business, especially in technology industries it is important to always innovate and improve your products to stay on top of the market. For example, the social network for dance which I created, I constantly add new features but subconsciously I know that these new features are never final in design. In order to make a lasting product that resonates with users I always attempt to update and improve everything that has been previously completed. I believe that when you complete a task it can always be updated and refined when you have hindsight, a foundation and a better understanding of the problem. I have come to peace with the kaizen way of working which is an ideology of constant improvement. I have not only utilized this in a business context but throughout my life. It helps you get a better peace of mind and optimism about the future especially if you are going through difficult situations. The Kaizen model helps you confirm the belief that it is possible to achieve your goals through hard work, perseverance, and dedication.

Improving My Workflow

Furthermore, although I always attempt to complete every task to perfection, I now have a better understanding that things can always be improved in the future. We live in a world of rapid change in which nothing is stagnant, therefore workflow must move in parallel with these changes. It is important to understand that if you want to improve and develop as an individual you must be open to learning, improvement and change.