Why do some people love to overdo things? They just don’t do the same things as everyone else, and instead try to take things to the extreme. We might call them perfectionists or something along those lines, but we most likely know one or two people like that.
However, there is nothing wrong with being a perfectionist. Some people are just wired to give out their very possible best and if they feel like they’re not delivering that, they would not be satisfied with whatever it is they do. They seek perfection for their peace of mind because it’s the only time they’ll be able to relax and let it go.
This is a slow way to grow because when we could have left things off and moved on to the next stage, we kept on working on them and working on them, trying to perfect every single detail about it. Others would move on and we’ll still be nitpicking because we’re perfectionists. We might always bring out the best, but we don’t move at the same pace as others.
Like I said, these guys have no issues. They are perfectionists for their peace of mind and it’s understandable. However, you know some people seem to be perfectionists just to make others look bad, right?
I wouldn’t call them perfectionists though, because all they achieve is to overdo things in an attempt to make others look like they aren’t working at all. Such people are quick to believe that they’re the most intelligent in the bunch and do not take lightly to criticisms, but they have no problems serving it hot hot!!!
They try to be the leader in whatever project they’re working on, but they won’t share the work equally. Most of the real work will be done by them and others will just be left with mundane tasks, all this is just for bragging rights. They find it hard to carry their team along, even as a leader. They don’t share their ideas or ask for input. They simply give decrees and expect everyone to follow what they say without question. If someone so much as dares to question their actions, they could get petty and decide to abandon the entire project altogether. It won’t matter if the deadline for the completion of the project is near, they might even be prepared for all of them to fail since they’re not having their way.
But then, per adventure they don’t get to be the leader, that won’t stop them from trying to steal the show. They’ll offer more “decrees” and pass them off as suggestions to the leader, trying to give the impression that the choice is up to them. Whatever ideas others bring will be shot down and they’ll keep pushing for their idea. If their idea gets taken, they’ll more or less spearhead the entire thing. If not, they could see it as a gang-up and even try to sabotage the entire project! When everything goes down the drain, they smile and go about telling everyone that it was because his team members refused to listen to him. He had a great plan, but they were too jealous to see, and now they had nothing!
We see people like this all the time, but how do we deal with them? There’s no other way than to be firm yourself, especially if you’re the leader. Such people are very adept at applying pressure so you don’t even notice it. But you’ll very much feel it. If you feel they are trying to overshadow the rest of the team, rein them back in and have everyone work at the same pace.
Also, if they are leaders, you have to speak up for yourselves because they won’t do that for you. If you don’t like an idea they propose, let them know so you can agree. If you don’t understand how they’re implementing the idea, ask them for clarification. All this is important so that in the end all of you will have a stake in the project. If it succeeds, you all win! And if it fails, you all lose!
Because such people will find it easy to pass blame and steal the glory. If it fails, they’ll easily blame you all for leaving them to do everything and if it succeeds, they’ll go on and on about how they singlehandedly carried the entire team.
Such people are tiring and I just try my best to steer clear of them. There’s nothing quite like being on a team where everyone is willing to pitch in their little quota and make everyone succeed together. One person trying to do it all just so they can look cool at the expense of others… not so cool.
This rant was inspired by someone in my department today. Because of him, a group of my coursemates who were assigned the same assignments are in trouble. By the time the story spread, everyone wanted to lay their hands on this guy and teach him a thing or two. But that would cause too much trouble, and I’m much too busy for that.
So I came here to talk about it. I can only hope that the issue would be fixed soon.
