Jennifer walked over to her assistant’s desk with an obvious look of frustration on her face. “Kathy, there are too many grammatical errors in this report. The line spacing is not consistent and we should use bullet points to shorten some of the paragraphs. Please redo it immediately!”

“But Miss Thomas, remember that Mr. Rogers needs to get the document right now so that he can complete his submission to the new clients,” Kathy countered. “The deadline is a few hours away, and if I stop to make those small changes, we might miss getting this major contract.”

Sighing loudly, Jennifer responded firmly, “What you need to remember is that we don’t send out imperfect work from this department. Do it right the first time, or don’t do it at all.” “In fact,” she bristled, “I will do it myself. I should know better than to let you work on such an important project.”

Stamping angrily back to her office, Jennifer halted mid-stride to straighten some paintings in the hallway. “Nobody in this office takes any pride in doing things properly,” she muttered. Putting aside the transactions she had been working on, Jennifer muted her phone and began rewriting the report.

Three hours later, Jennifer emerged triumphantly. She had included pictures and graphs which were not required, but made the document look impressive. She had also adjusted the fonts and colour scheme. “This is the way to create a report,” Jennifer said smugly to her assistant.

Kathy replied softly, “Mr. Rogers tried to reach you several times. He needed the information at once, so I had to email him what I had done. I think he has already sent off the proposal to the clients.” Lowering her eyes, she added, “He asked you to report to him first thing tomorrow.”

Jennifer exhibited the classic traits of a person who is driven by the need for perfection to the detriment of productivity. While taking a stand for excellence, she was absorbed with minute details that were irrelevant to the big picture. Her diligent work efforts were completely misdirected.

Obsessive-compulsive personality issues
According to Wikipedia.org, obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is characterized by “preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, mental and interpersonal control at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency.” Very often, the task itself is more important than the result.

Not to be confused with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) which causes repetitive, anti-social behaviours such as extreme hoarding, excessive cleaning or fearful thoughts, OCPD leads people to demand perfection in the minutest aspects of their lives. Order and control become compulsions.

Perfection can be problematic
Precise execution is important in the pursuit of excellence, and rigid attention to detail is vital for the quality of your product or service. However, if you are meticulous in areas that are not critical to the desired end results, you could slow down the business processes and frustrate all your workers.

If you are running your own business or supervising other employees in the workplace, be careful that your need for perfectionism does not negatively affect the production of your team. Let’s look at some of the ways in which your OCPD could be wreaking havoc in your business place:

The compulsive organiser
You are driven by the need to have things in their proper location, and you get annoyed if you can’t find something. You create colour-coded folders, buy matching storage boxes and devise complex procedures to ensure that your records are properly documented and your workplace is neat.

While your surroundings are orderly, your business is in chaos because most of your mental energy is involved in organisation, not production. Use your organising skills to systemise your operations so that your service or product can be delivered efficiently and cost-effectively to your customers.

The demanding control freak
You must have the final say in every area of your operations, from the food prepared in the staff canteen, to the fabric used on the lobby chairs. You double-check everything that leaves your office and believe that no one else has the capability to properly complete all the tasks at hand.

Micromanaging everyone else takes time away from the job that you should be doing. Ensure that your staff is properly trained and delegate tasks to persons with the right competencies. Use your leadership skills to share the vision of your company and to steer your team in the right direction.

The over-analysing decision-maker
You spend countless hours researching information and gathering facts on everything related to your tasks. You agonise whenever you need to make a decision, because you are worried that you’ll choose the wrong option. Analysis paralysis often causes you to miss out on lucrative opportunities.

Instead of being indecisive, recognise that you can proceed immediately with the information on hand and make necessary adjustments along the way. Even if your choice was not optimal, you can use your analysing skills to help you discover a better method of accomplishing your objectives.

Copyright © 2013 Cherryl Hanson Simpson. No reproduction without written consent.

Originally published in The Daily Observer, August 22, 2013

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Cherryl is a money coach and business mentor, and founder of Financially S.M.A.R.T. Services. See more of her work at www.entrepreneursinjamaica.com and www.financiallysmart.org. Contact Cherryl