Perfectionism Is A “Kind Of Disease”

Perfectionists don’t get anything done. I’m not sure that’s entirely true, although perfectionist tendencies can certainly be a barrier to production. And the actor who played Mr. Bean seems to agree.

Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean)

Rowan Atkinson, known for the character Mr. Bean among others, recently said “perfectionism is a kind of disease” and that he rarely laughs when he watches his own work. He elaborated on “thinking about whatever you’re doing, (that) you could do better,” and he sees that as a problem.

The article is here

 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rowan-atkinson-interview-man-vs-bee-netflix-sw7gfcvfc

I’m not convinced that believing you can always do better is a problem, but if it prevents someone from producing anything, then that is certainly a problem. It’s a surprising comment from Atkinson because he has been very prolific over his career.

Seth Godin on Perfectionists

My friends Dave Veale and Greg Hemmings host a podcast. They are quite prolific as well with over 200 episodes. Their Boiling Point Podcast has had some amazing guests over the years.  One of the most popular was marketing guru Seth Godin.  Godin has written several books and he writes the exceptionally popular blog  https://seths.blog/.  When Seth visited The Boiling Point, he told the hosts that perfectionists are cowards because they never bring anything to completion.   I’ve read his works before and he has pushed against perfectionism, but calling perfectionists cowards was quite dramatic and quite strong language.  Likely too strong but sometimes we need to be a little dramatic to land a point.  You can listen to the episode here.

https://boilingpointpodcast.com/boiling-point/seth-godin-says-perfectionists-are-cowards-heres-why/

Minimum Viable Product

Godin continued and clarified that he wasn’t indicating to ship product before it was ready, but to avoid trying to create the perfect product. An abundance of business material preaches to deliver a minimal viable product to a market that you believe needs the product, and let customer feedback shape future, improved, more feature-rich versions. 

I understand Godin’s strong comments. I also understand the perceived risk of content producers, however I believe that there will always be people that dismiss your work regardless how much polishing that takes place.

Tough Feedback in Philadelphia

I have a personal example of this. I‘ve delivered hundreds of presentations over the years. Sometimes after a presentation, the hosts collect written feedback and comments, primarily for their own purposes in determining if they should re-book a speaker in the future. Sometimes they share the comments with the speaker, as in this example.

About ten years ago I delivered a presentation on situational leadership to a group of about one-hundred attendees in Philadelphia.  It went very well.  As always, after the presentation I thought ‘whoops I forgot to mention this minor point,’ and ‘one of those transitions could have been much more smooth.’ But it went well. The audience was engaged, and there were lots of questions.

 

Feedback Comment Forms

Afterwards the hosts collected comment forms.  Usually, attendees simply comply, and quickly and half-heartedly check off high scores with comments like ‘was great,’ ‘speaks a little quickly at times,’ and ’good material.’    At this event three people wrote ‘doesn’t know what he’s talking about’ ‘never want to see this speaker again’ and ‘I wasted 45 minutes.’  These are direct quotes because I’ve kept these forms, simply as a reminder to me.

These opinions are valid. These three attendees clearly didn’t benefit from my presentation. Their comments remind me that there will often be attendees who don’t enjoy my work. Rarely will an entire audience, of a significant size, enjoy a presentation. That shouldn’t stop me, and it shouldn’t stop you.

Perfectionist Tendencies

If you have perfectionist tendencies, take solace in knowing that someone won’t enjoy your work. But many will. If you think someone might not like your work, you’re correct.  That shouldn’t stop you from releasing your work in some form. Perhaps with a minimal viable version that will take you closer and closer to your ultimate product.