Vince Lombardi introduced himself to the Green Bay Packers as follows: "Gentlemen, we are going to relentlessly pursue perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it, because in the process we will catch excellence." He continued: "I am not remotely interested in being good."

Leaders who pursue perfection face several obstacles, two in particular: the resistance of the staff to having to continue to improve with no end in sight and the difficulty of maintaining attention on perfection in the midst of the demands of the here and now.

It's not hard to imagine what it's like for the staff when the boss wants them to pursue perfection and who, after a while, say to themselves, "Doesn't s/he ever let up?" The realization that no matter how hard they work and no matter what progress has been made that there is always more to do can be a real, significant, and difficult obstacle to overcome.

And it's not hard to imagine a situation in which the demands on the time and energy of the staff to complete the normal and routine tasks of work, in addition to the constantly occurring episodic requirements and the clients whose expectations seem to rise continuously, make it difficult to focus on the pursuit of excellence.

What can leaders do to deal with this dilemma?

The first thing that leaders can do is to realize that the pursuit of perfection is an ongoing challenge, not something that will end soon. Given that realization, leaders must then embed in the culture of the organization a belief in the importance of pursuing perfection.

This cultural shift requires that leaders undertake a communications initiative that is continuous and purposeful. Leaders will need to remind their staff of the importance of the pursuit of perfection, identify and celebrate examples of success in that pursuit, and tell clients, vendors, and other outsiders of the firm's commitment to the pursuit of perfection.

Another key step is for leaders to identify and implement structures and tools that support the pursuit of perfection. Some of the leaders I know have: established periodic reviews of progress toward perfection in order to identify both successes and additional opportunities for improvement; created awards and others means of acknowledging and celebrating success; brought in outsider speakers whose efforts to pursue perfection serve as encouragement; assigned books and articles for others to read; and encouraged other members of the staff to give presentations on and write articles about the firm's efforts to pursue perfection.

There are other steps that leaders can take, too.

Instead of biting off more than their organizations can chew, leaders can identify small steps that their staff can achieve in the near term and continue to add a few more bite-size improvements regularly. For example: rather than completely retool a process, one leader asked her staff to identify one step they could take this month to improve how they monitored the quality of their software; rather than institute a complex process for ensuring customer satisfaction, one team leader asked his team members to ask one customer they usually meet with every week for feedback on how things were going.

This helps the staff to pursue perfection by asking for easily accomplished, small-scale changes that accumulate and contribute to the improvements needed and it avoids the typical problem some leaders create by trying to do too much too soon.

Leaders can help their staff members accept and embrace the pursuit of perfection if they can be both reassuring and insistent at the same time. While it may seem that these two are mutually exclusive, they aren't.

Leaders can be reassuring by letting the staff know they appreciate their efforts to make improvements, by providing encouragement despite roadblocks they may run up against, by acknowledging that, at times, it can be hard to move ahead, and that they understand and empathize with their efforts to change.

At the same time, leaders can and should reiterate the commitment to pursuing perfection, identify the successes they've already had, communicate the benefits to both the staff members individually and the organization as a whole for moving ahead.

This helps the staff recognize and accept the fact that the pursuit of perfection is not optional and that it is a part of what is expected of members of this organization.

Are these the only steps you can take to address the obstacles you may encounter as you pursue perfection? No, but they can serve as a starting point for you.

What have you already done? What else could you do?

Growing up, my mother used to say to me, "It's just a stage you're going through."

At the time, I was both angry and frustrated. Now, however, I realize how insightful her comment was. As I advise leaders working on a particular project or initiative, I help them to recognize the stage they are in so they can determine what to do next.

What advice did your mother give you that you now use as a leader? It's a wonderful legacy, isn't it?

I was riding on the Acela train to New York City recently, when the conductor announced, "If you are in the Quiet Car and you must talk, we urge you to talk silently." Hmmm, how do you do that?

Leaders also say things that create confusion.

How often have you heard or said things like, "Now, don't forget that I want you to make decisions on your own. However, don't do anything I wouldn't approve," or "Be sure to collaborate with your staff, as long as you don't let them paralyze the process by excessive input," or "As long as you're going to make a decision, stick with it, unless, of course, the situation changes."

email: archie@archietinelli.com archie@archietinelli.com