BRIAN WEBB BLOG

It’s so easy for your business or organization to end up in a stall because you’re helplessly paralyzed by your desire for perfection. In his national best selling book; “The Five Temptations Of A CEO,” Patrick Lencioni warns about the temptation to always choose certainty over clarity. Many times the best tactical move… is simply to move. Do something. Avoid the detrimental trap of constantly waiting for more and more and more information before making decisions to move forward. I call this trap the “Ready-Aim-Aim Syndrome.”

So where does this temptation come from? Fear. Fear that executing the plan or moving forward, without volumes of documentation guaranteeing imminent success, will somehow show your superiors, colleagues, direct reports and the world that your plan was not perfect. So rather than risk judgment, a bruised ego, or being labeled a fraud… you do nothing. You wait, and your business or organization suffers.

Many outstanding big picture thinkers are always looking for… and burdened by the search for perfection. But too often, the path to perfection leads to procrastination, which leads to stagnancy… and ultimately, failure.

Ask yourself these 5 identifier questions…

1. Do you pride yourself on being intellectually precise?
2. Do you prefer to wait for more information rather than making a decision without all of the facts?
3. Do your direct reports seem chronically irritable because you schedule too many meetings and demand too many case studies?
4. Do you enjoy debating details with your direct reports during staff meetings?
5. Do you find yourself repelling action-oriented people?

Don’t let the perfect ruin the good. Ready, Aim, FIRE!