A Human Approach

Jae Rang Headshot

The Agony of Perfection

Aha Moment Monday

Do you find it hard to watch the agony of a perfectionist?
To feel the need to dress impeccably, deliver flawlessly or speak immaculately … what pressure!
It must require profound effort, and at what cost or mental anguish?

When Zig Ziglar was asked what profession he was in, he always said he was in sales.
But he also indicated that we’re ALL in sales.
Think about it.  We sell ourselves to our employer, we sell our vacation proposal to our spouse, we sell our kids on why they should keep their rooms straight, we sell our expansion ideas to the board of directors, and at some point probably sell our products or services, even if just on eBay.

When you think of Zig, does an image of flawless presence come to mind?
Zig was arguable one of the best in his field – he was an expert –  but didn’t his admission of short-comings bring us closer to him?

Aha! ~ It’s okay to show a little vulnerability

It’s called the pratfall effect.
“…when we believe someone is amazing, they almost seem “too good to be true.” their blunder (or pratfall) makes them more relatable and therefore more approachable and likeable.”as posted by jdt in (Everyday) Psychophilosophy
There’s no question that people follow leaders who are confident, know themselves and their field of expertise; but when an expert allows us to see their human side – exposes a weakness – we tend to like them even more.

I’ll never apologize for my high standard, but perfection?  No thanks.
Perfection, in the human world, is a perspective not an absolute so we’ll never agree on what “perfect” looks like … which I suppose makes us all perfect … right?

 

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