Are you aiming for perfection or progress?

In a world where amazing technology makes it easy for us to endlessly tweak our projects within an inch of their life, a useful maxim is to remember that done is better than perfect.

What’s interesting is, the word perfect has different meanings to different people.

Some people demand that their staff create things that are error free down to the letter, fact and pixel.

Some people avoid delegating in the first place because they think others won’t meet their standards.

Graphic designers tend to be this way. And their anal retentiveness is typically an advantage from a user experience perspective.

But there is another form of perfection that’s particularly insidious with leaders who manage those creative professionals.

Since these people are likely giving creative direction more than they are executing actual work, there comes a point where they have to look at the work and reach a point of acceptance. They have to say to themselves and their team:

Okay, this project is done. And it’s not done in the exact way that I would have personally done it, but it’s done nonetheless, and that’s what is most important here. Not my ego, not my insistence on getting my own way all the time, and not my desire to have all the people on my team read my mind.

This mindset is the foundation of prolific leadership.

Whereas if you feel a job must be done your way, and that’s the only right way, then your output will plummet right along with morale.

I’ve had several company founders who have epitomized this trait. Each had a unique way of describing their approach to managing creative team members.

One boss said his job was to give people enough rope to find something better than what he came up with.

Another said that his job was to drop the car keys on the table and hope the team drives somewhere interesting.

Both are compelling visuals for humility, surrender and empowerment. Exactly the kind of team culture where prolificacy thrives.

There’s no room for perfection here, only progress.

Does that describe your organization? Or are you a leader for whom there is no level at which you will feel completely safe putting things in the world because there’s always something wrong with it?

The choice is yours. And since you’re the leader, nobody is going to stop you.

Just remember, when it comes to the creative process, perfection isn’t required, continuing the journey is.

Does your preoccupation with details, order and efficiency help or hinder execution?