If you feel like you’re constantly under pressure to perform, like everything has to be flawless before it can be shared, then perfectionism might be running your leadership style!
It doesn’t always look like colour-coded spreadsheets or obsessively reworked slides.
Sometimes it looks like overworking, never switching off, and a constant low-level belief that whatever you’ve done… could’ve been better.
Think about how much that’s draining your energy, your motivation, and yes…your confidence!
Coaching Room Insight: When Enough Never Feels Like Enough
I’ve worked with so many brilliant women who can’t stop fixing, checking, polishing, preparing.
They stay up late rewriting decks.
They don’t delegate because it won’t be done “right.”
They agonise over wording, delivery, timing – even after getting brilliant results.
The Stickler says, “That’s not good enough.”
The Hyper-Achiever says, “Do more. Be more. Achieve more.”
Together, they trap you in a cycle where rest feels lazy, and done never feels done.
But here’s the thing:
The only person judging you against an unrealistic ideal, is you!
You’re not being judged – you’re judging yourself.
Golden Tip: Interrupt the Pattern
Perfectionism is just that, a pattern. One you can change.
Here’s how:
1. Catch the feeling and the voice. Name it…”there’s Polly Perfect!”
2. Celebrate the catch. You are changing decades of faulty wiring here, it deserves a cheer and a shimmy! Not just for the hell of it, this actually rewires your brain! Each time you notice and celebrate, you reduce the power it has.
3. Shift the question.
Instead of “Is it perfect?”, ask:
• Is it clear? Is it effective? Is it ready enough?
• Am I adding value – or just adding effort?
And remember: the pursuit of perfect is the enemy of your peace.
Latest Research: Perfectionism Hurts Performance
Research shows that high performers with perfectionist tendencies are more likely to burn out, procrastinate, and self-sabotage than their peers.
It doesn’t make you better. It just makes you exhausted!
That’s why building mental fitness is so important.
I’ve been using Positive Intelligence as one of my core tools with clients for almost five years, as a certified PQ coach, and it’s a total gamechanger!
A Client Reflection: What Happens When You Let Go
“Perfectionism had me doing hours of invisible work. When I finally let go of ‘perfect’ and focused on outcomes, I got time back, my confidence grew, and I started getting noticed for the right things.”
– Leadership Reset Mastermind graduate
Sick of overthinking?
Procrastinating?
Shrinking at the exact moment you need to shine?
You’re not alone, and you’re not broken.
These are the patterns I see (and shift) every day inside the Leadership Reset Mastermind.
It’s where high-achieving women stop letting self-sabotage run the show, and start leading with energy, clarity, and confidence again.
I’m not opening the doors just yet, but if you know you don’t want to keep doing it the hard way…
You’ll answer a few quick questions so I can get to know you…and when the next places open, you’ll be the first to hear from me.
