How many times do you reread an email before sending it? Once? Twice? More than five times? If you answered once or twice, then you’ve probably sent a fair share of emails that were clear with maybe one or two typos that had a negligible impact on your message. If you answered the opening question with “more than five times,” you might be a perfectionist.
The word “perfectionism” puts a positive spin on a vulnerable thing to admit: our fear of failure. Nothing slows down progress or stymies creativity like perfectionism. Perfectionism holds our time and attention hostage, making it impossible to zoom out and see the end goal we’re working towards. I spoke with Alex Sanfilippo about ways to get comfortable with making mistakes and learning from setbacks. Founder of PodPros, Alex’s episode offers these 3 lessons for listeners:
- Start ugly to solve problems sooner.
- Be honest when you make a mistake with far-reaching impact.
- Identify a benchmark to help you achieve your vision.
Lesson #1: People want solutions to their problems more than they want a brand.
When asked how he brought PodMatch to market during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Alex says they started “ugly.” He knew his market needed a specific solution, and he knew that getting them the solution was more important than developing a logo and brand. So that’s what Alex and his partner focused on: bringing a solution that worked to the podcasters who needed it. From there, continuous improvement would be a priority.
This iterative approach to software development has applications for all of us, whether we work in tech or not. When we focus on reaching our goal, and not on how good it looks when we get there, we’re better equipped to manage unexpected hiccups and identify opportunities to differentiate ourselves from the competition. If you’d like to learn more about iterative design processes, consider this resource on the Successive Approximation Model (aka SAM Model).
Lesson #2: Own your mistakes and learn from them.
Early on in the history of PodMatch, Alex made a choice that almost tanked the business. Thinking that he’d always have more hosts than guests on the platform, he focused his attention on attracting guests. Not long after, PodMatch was saturated with guests, and hosts were leaving the platform having filled their calendar for the next year. He had gravely miscalculated.
As Alex bravely admits, owning our mistakes is a humbling experience. But rather than wallowing in the mud with his bruised ego, he instead focused on how to keep moving forward and help the business recover. We talk often on Best Places to Lead about being honest and owning all the decisions we make as leaders. We also can’t forget the crucial next step: following through on our commitments to correct course and keep moving forward.
Lesson #3: Set achievable benchmarks to work towards your vision.
I’m on a mission to positively impact 5 million people in the next 4 years, and there are absolutely days where it feels like that may be impossible. It’s on those days where doing even a small task towards my mission reorients me to just how possible it really is. Alex is on a mission to help podcasters stay in the game, so they can continue sharing their content that helps people learn, laugh, and lead with confidence. There’s about 2.6 million total podcasts out in the world, but only about 425,000 that are active. Although the distance between those numbers seems vast, Alex believes if he can help bring that number to 500,000, then it will all have been worth it.
When we set ourselves achievable goals, it shortens the distance between where we are now and where we want to be. And as an added bonus, achievable goals are the antidote to the high expectations of perfectionism.
To learn more about Alex and how you can avoid the pitfalls of perfectionism, check out the full episode!
About Best Places to Lead
Your company has the potential to be great. The leader’s responsibility is to unlock that potential – or doom it to mediocrity.
On the LIVE Best Places to Lead show, you’ll learn the hard-fought lessons from the front lines earned by business leaders who have already had their teeth bashed in and lived to tell about it. We’ll share the tips, tricks, mindsets, and frameworks that allow great leaders to lead differently.
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