Handcrafted Coops

Perfectionism Runs in my Blood

I can remember back to a summer from my childhood, probably twenty-some years ago, when I was staying with my Grandma and “Gramps” at their farm in Pennsylvania. My Grandfather was working on building a new chicken coop and I was (not really) helping. As we neared completion, he realized that one of the 2x4s he’d cut was about a half-inch shy of it’s ideal length. Of course, we needed to make a trip to the hardware store to buy another 2×4 so that it could be done right.

For a chicken coop.

While my grandfather was like this about most of what he did in life, my perfectionism is a little different. I call it “selective perfectionism” – I’m sure you can guess what that means. There are a select few areas in my life where I am desperately passionate about doing things right. My business partners will tell you, one of these areas is coffee. Another one is website design and development. This is a great thing if you’re a potential client, but it presents a set of unique challenges to me and my team as we strive to build beautiful, perfect websites.

Recognizing the Problem

Before we get too far here, I want to make it clear that I believe there is a time (and a budget) for carefully crafting every pixel and every line of code. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have clients that can afford (or schedules that flex to accommodate) this kind of work. The problem with us perfectionists is that we know a little too much. It’s that knowledge of our craft which pushes us toward the death spiral and the same knowledge which, often times, convinces us to chose the absolute best approach whenever we’re faced with options. I believe that there is always a “best solution” out there for any given problem. As business owners/website designers/software architects, we need to develop our ability to look at the paths before us and select the one that is the best fit for a specific project.

So, how do we do this?

Everyone responds a bit differently to these kinds of situations, and each project presents it’s own unique challenges. However, there are a few simple things we can do to help prevent ourselves from falling into the spiral.

Establish (and Remember) Clear Goals

Take some real time to think about the two or three core goals of a given project. This isn’t something that you can do on your own, it requires feedback and buy-in from your customer. These goals will later provide a filter through which all project decisions can be examined. Having this higher level of understanding for your project will keep you in tune with what’s best for your client. Remember, we’re not designing for awards, we’re trying to grow our customer’s business.

Trust a Non-Perfectionist

At the risk of sounding a bit trite, it can really help to have a “perfectionist accountability partner” available. Quite simply, a logical individual who will listen to you explain the options and provide a sensible point of view. Often times, I find that simply explaining the two or three ways I can see to create a solution provides the clarity I need to make the right choice. In this case, two heads really are better than one.

One note here, you may want to avoid using the person in charge of the budget for this. I have nothing against the money folks, but often their feedback is to chose the quickest way to solve a problem. Remember that this is a balancing act, it requires compromises and a real desire to serve your clients. Whoever you trust with this responsibility must share this understanding.

Talk to your Customer (Gasp!)

It’s funny to me that each time this suggestion comes up we seem to laugh it off. I believe the reason we don’t take this seriously is because we don’t think our customer’s are smart (technical? creative?) enough to make an educated decision. While there may be some truth here, the reality is that these are the folks paying for the product you’re going to deliver. They aren’t experts in your field. They may not have a design or programming degree. But they should be invested enough in your project to listen to what you’re considering and provide some feedback. If they’re not, this is the perfect opportunity to get them involved. It may even lead to an increase in your overall budget. Trust me when I say that you (and your client) will be much happier with the end product if this kind of communication is common in your process.

The Takeaway

Over time, perfectionsim will eat away at your profit and morale. As experts in our field, we should strive to provide a level of quality that exceeds the expectations of our customers. But we should also be willing to compromise when it’s best for our clients. Working through these kinds of issues with your team can help with efficiencies and prevent teammates from feeling under-appreciated. It’s difficult, but it’s worth the effort.