Being a perfectionist is both a good thing and a bad thing.

It’s a good thing because of obvious reasons.

It’s a bad thing because humans aren’t good at moderation.

Perfectionism, left to itself, destroys businesses and crushes dreams, placing a weight on humanity it is not capable of bearing. 

What I’m talking about is this temptation to replace the functional with the perfect, to refuse a perfectly good report by demanding a perfect report. 

You know you have a problem with perfectionism when a task that is only worth 5 minutes takes 50 minutes. You know you have an even deeper problem when you justify the time spent.

Let’s take cars for example.

You’re shopping for a car, and you know what kind you need. A healthy scenario is one where you make the goal clear (4-door car, less than 5 years old, less than 50k miles, under $15k) and you go find the best solution you can find in a reasonable amount of time.

An unhealthy scenario is one where you make the goal perfection (the best 4-door car, newer than any other, with less miles, for less money) and you spend the rest of your life either shopping (because you never found the “best”) or regretting your purchase as you find “better” deals after the fact.

Perfectionism ruins the experience and traumatizes you because it puts the responsibility back on you. It’s not perfect; it’s your fault. The whole thing is stressful. You hate new cars anyway!

The alternative could have been very simple, another task accomplished in this fleeting world. Good job, you found the car you needed to get the job done.

Move on!

Perfection is great as a concept, but as a reality, in this world, it can only exist in moderation.

That’s why the acronym GETMO exists. Craig Groeschel came up with it: Good Enough to Move On. Once a project reaches GETMO, you have achieved success and can continue on your way.

The problem with GETMO is it requires a keen sense of values. 

How do you know if something is “good enough”? 

How much time is “enough” to spend shopping on a car?

How thorough does the research need to be to move on to the next task?

GETMO requires a doggedly clear definition of success for each task, a humility to accept your limitations, and a commitment to the bigger picture of your life’s work.

Along this spectrum there are two extreme types of companies and leaders. There are those who overthink everything to death and accomplish next to nothing, succumbing to the infamous paralysis of analysis, and there are those who jump to conclusions and rush into things, stacking mistakes on top of each other, leading to the unhealthy demise of the organization.

Which is best?

At the end of the day, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting.

Results talk.

What does your team’s results say about you?

Do you lead with discernment, ascribing value to projects and clearly defining goals, leading to high quality results? Or do you fall into the trap of perfectionism and have to self-justify for your lack of production and quality?

Reality is the great equalizer, no matter what we say.

Perfection is something we catch glimpses of from time to time as we mingle with the divine in this beautiful and terrifying created order, but we are mistaken to think we can bottle it up, capture it, or repeat it.

The best way to run a business, or a life for the matter, is to set clear, attainable goals, and keep moving forward. 

You may not reach perfection, but everyday you will be progressing down this path of life, and in the words of our founding fathers, you will be continually forming a ”more perfect” world and a “more perfect” you.

And that, to be sure, is good enough to move on.