In my humble opinion, one of the greatest movies that still holds up as fun for all ages is the classic film, “Mary Poppins.”
In a nutshell, it’s the tale of how absent father George Banks discovers the true value of family thanks to magical nanny Mary Poppins.
One scene in the film shows Mary holding up a tape measure to see how the children “measure up.” One child is prone to giggle, the other is stubborn. Mary, on the other hand, when likewise assessed is shown to be “practically perfect in every way.”
According to a study by Harvard Business Review, however, working too hard to be “practically perfect” may not be best for either you or your employer.
Studies show that perfectionists experience higher levels of stress, burnout, and anxiety. So, according to HBR, “while certain aspects of perfectionism might be beneficial in the workplace, perfectionistic tendencies can also clearly impair employees at work.”
In fact, the article notes that perfectionists – even though many believe this traits to be a net positive for the companies that hire them – are actually no better or worse performers on the job than everyone else. They speculate this could be because they spend too much time trying to make some projects “perfect,” but in doing so, they neglect other tasks that could use more focus.
The challenge for managers is to find ways to leverage the positive aspects of perfectionism, while making sure to offer balance and letting them know in many cases, “good enough is good enough.”
So it seems that Mary was wise in being “practically perfect” – I’m sure Banks and his family were all quite pleased with her results.
We’re all about providing you with the “practically perfect” support you need to have the financial plan and results you deserve. Give us a call at 610-695-8748 for a free portfolio review and let’s see what kind of magic we can make happen by working together.
