Perfectionism attempts to avoid the pain of disappointing others.

Belief that doing things “correctly” will prevent the pain of disapproval. Instead, only primes one for shame since perfection isn’t possible—causes the feeling that was avoided.rB1

A team needs to differentiate this from excellence.


  1. Brené Brown, Dare to Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts (New York: Random House, 2018). (See notes.)