24 min listen
266: The Truth About Perfectionism (And What To Do About It) with Thomas Curran
266: The Truth About Perfectionism (And What To Do About It) with Thomas Curran
ratings:
Length:
34 minutes
Released:
Aug 1, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Many of us fall into the perfectionist trap. Whether it’s because of strict bosses, high academic standards, or just self-motivation, perfectionism is more common than you’d think. While it’s important and healthy to strive to do our best work, at some point all managers have to acknowledge that people will make mistakes and good enough can truly be good enough.Today’s guest is Thomas Curran. Thomas is a professor of psychology at the London School of Economics and author of a landmark study that the BBC hailed as “the first to compare perfectionism across generations.” His TED Talk on perfectionism has received more than three million views. His research has been featured in media ranging from the Harvard Business Review to New Scientist to CNN and he has appeared on numerous television and radio programs.Thomas and I talk about, no surprise, perfectionism. He shares the problems that come from being a perfectionist and working in a perfectionist culture, what’s really driving perfectionist tendencies, how to identify someone struggling with perfectionism, and of course, what to do to manage perfectionist tendencies in yourself and how to help others.Members of the Modern Manager community get a chance to win 1 of 5 copies of “The Perfection Trap”. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community.Get FREE mini-sketchnotes with the big idea from the week’s episode delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to my weekly email.Read the related blog article: Stop Perfectionism From Impeding Your Team’s SuccessKEEP UP WITH THOMASBook: https://www.amazon.com/Perfection-Trap-Embracing-Power-Enough/dp/1982149531Read the Full Transcript.Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:53 What is perfectionism?
04:20 What are the harms of always striving for perfection?
06:57 A story of unhealthy perfectionism
09:29 How can managers give feedback to perfectionists?
11:02 How to shift out of perfectionism thinking
20:59 Creating a work environment that doesn’t set a perfectionist standard
28:31 A great manager Thomas worked for
30:45 Keeping up with Thomas
31:50 [Extended episode only] Is it true that some aspects of perfectionism lead to success?
39:12 [Extended episode only] What is the link between perfectionism and procrastination?
Get the extended episode by joining The Modern Manager community for just $15 per month. mamie@mamieks.cominstagram.com/mamieks
00:00 Intro
02:53 What is perfectionism?
04:20 What are the harms of always striving for perfection?
06:57 A story of unhealthy perfectionism
09:29 How can managers give feedback to perfectionists?
11:02 How to shift out of perfectionism thinking
20:59 Creating a work environment that doesn’t set a perfectionist standard
28:31 A great manager Thomas worked for
30:45 Keeping up with Thomas
31:50 [Extended episode only] Is it true that some aspects of perfectionism lead to success?
39:12 [Extended episode only] What is the link between perfectionism and procrastination?
Get the extended episode by joining The Modern Manager community for just $15 per month. mamie@mamieks.cominstagram.com/mamieks
Released:
Aug 1, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (91)
200: Mamie’s Favorite Takeaways from 200 Episodes: Today I’m celebrating 200 episodes. This feels like a major accomplishment. When I launched the show in May 2018, just getting to 10 episodes felt a little overwhelming. Now, looking back, I’m so proud of what I was able to do and how many managers like yourself I’ve been able to help. It’s because of you that I create this show week after week. For this special 200th episode, I looked back over the guest episodes and thought about what ideas really stood out for me. While every episode has golden nuggets, I chose 5 key takeaways that have impacted or stayed with me in some way. I hope you find these ideas useful, but more importantly, I hope you’ll scroll back into the feed and check out older episodes even if you have already listened to them. There are some truly great conversations and solo episodes in the archive. And listening to a show for a second time helps us hear new things because we’ve grown and evolved since we first list by The Modern Manager