The term “detailed oriented” has become synonymous with success and achievement. It is more often than not viewed in a positive light, but what if you are one of those people who have a tendency to get lost in the minor details and even paralyzed by the need for perfection? Do you find yourself in a situation where you are preparing a presentation, a report or even a blog like this and you can’t seem to finish it because you keep finding things to edit?

I know that since I was a small child, I had a tendency toward perfectionism. I always wanted to not only get an A, but also to be at the top of the class. I not only wanted to be on the team, but also the captain.

In the book, Succeed, psychologist Dr. Heidi Halvorson, describes two types of goals: “be good” goals and “getting better” goals.

With “be good” goals, a person strives to achieve some ideal concept of “good”, such as being the top sales executive. “Getting better” goals are more process-based, such as being a better sales executive.

Halvorsan describes both types of goals as motivating, and in fact, indicates that some of the highest achievers are of the “be good” mentality. However, she goes on to indicate that the “be good” goals have some adverse side effects, such as frustration, whereas the “getting better” do not. The concept is about making progress rather than achieving perfection.

Focusing on “getting better” allows us psychologically to move forward past stumbling blocks and to achieve better results in all aspects of life. It allows us to focus on growing and improving ourselves, rather than comparing ourselves to others.

We all face struggles, whether it is trying to lose weight, complete coursework, gain a promotion or reach a sales target.

The key is thinking positively about achieving goals, accepting mistakes, learning from them and moving on to what is realistically actionable. This is where having an evaluation tool — with weighted measurable goals — comes into its own.

At Studer Community Institute we use a tool called the Leader Evaluation Manager, or LEM®, that was developed by Studer Group. This tool can drive results by aligning organizational goals, and I will be talking more about it in my next blog, so stay tuned.