Here Are 3 Tips for Managing a Perfectionist


Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

A perfectionist on your team is both a blessing and a curse. He may have high standards, but will likely fixate on every detail of a project.

Here are three ways to harness the positive qualities while mitigating the bad:

1. Give the right job. Don’t put a perfectionist in a role that is overly complex or requires managing people. Find positions that have a relatively narrow scope.

2. Increase self-awareness. Help your direct report recognize when his standards have negative outcomes. Explain the impact on those around him.

3. Don’t shy away from feedback. Perfectionists may have a hard time hearing criticism of their work. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Ask for the perfectionist’s advice on how to best give him feedback.

Today’s Management Tip was adapted from “How to Manage a Perfectionist” by Amy Gallo.

To read that article and join the discussion, please click here.

Also, you may wish to check out the new book Management Tips from Harvard Business Review, based on HBR’s Management Tip of the Day by clicking here.


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