Don’t aim for perfection. Aim for better than yesterday.
― Izey Victoria Odiase

Perfectionism is one of the most polarizing attributes for managers to deal with. Some leaders instinctively stand by it as key characteristic behind motivating an individual to achieve quality results, whilst others see it as a negative characteristic which causes poor time prioritization. No matter where you stand as a leader you will need to manage perfectionism at some point, be it in yourself or in those you lead. The key thing with perfectionism is to recognize it is not a black and white issue – as it is neither an all positive or all negative characteristic – rather it has both good and bad parts that need to be identified and understood. This is where good management comes in to separate the good from the bad and channel energies and efforts onto using the good parts. Continue reading “Managing Perfectionism” →

I believe that you can’t lead others unless you have a strong sense of who you are and what you stand for. – Denise Morrison

Mission statements come in two main forms in the work place. Firstly the more commonly known company mission statement which outlines the institution’s values and purpose and aims to provide a shared direction and belief system to guide all employees. Then secondly there is in my view the far more powerful and useful personal mission statement where an individual employee outlines their own objectives and commits to achieving them.  This mission statement narrows goals down to a personal level with daily relevance. Done well a personal mission statement provides a tangible vision for individuals to improve and to push themselves towards personal excellence. Continue reading “How to help someone write a great mission statement?” →