Perfectionist Programme in London
Many
of my clients at Sherridan Hughes are perfectionists who take life very seriously and
want to check and confirm that they are on the right track. At a
recent conference, I mentioned how perfectionism can hold people back
and half the audience were smiling knowingly and nodding their heads!
Perhaps you know a perfectionist; perhaps you are one yourself? Often
a perfectionist will have an equally perfectionist, extra successful
and/or critical parent, for whom they never felt good enough; they
may have had an absent parent, whose attention they were seeking
through high achievement; alternatively, they may simply be living up
to the family reputation of "the good one" or "the clever one".
Investment £645 (no additional VAT)
Perfectionism
has implications for work
Perfectionists
like clear objectives, rules and tangible outcomes which enable them
to feel confident of doing a good job and which confirm success (e.g.
counselling might appeal as a career, but this could prove too
subjective and results too hard to measure). Impressive image, titles
and salary may be appreciated as validation of success and worth.
Perfectionists do not like to delegate for fear that others will not
maintain their own high standards and they can be seen as
micro-managing control freaks. That said, they do like to have a
mentor or team off whom to bounce ideas and with whom to check and
confirm their thinking and they may prefer the "number two" role.
They can shoot themselves in the foot in their desire to do well,
(one lawyer giving 110% realised that clients really only wanted to
pay fees for 80% effort as long as this did "a good enough" as
opposed to "perfect" job!).
Recruiters
should be aware that perfectionists do not always do well on aptitude
measures and assessments. It is obvious really, but clearly someone
who checks and double checks answers is going to complete fewer
questions and score less highly! This needs to be taken into account
when assessing ability. In work, they may be trying to be thorough
and accurate but may actually be irritatingly pedantic and
unproductive (their boss may just want them to "get on with it" rather than keep pestering for confirmation and positive feedback).
Perfectionism
contributes to stress
Although
very keen to prove themselves, perfectionists tend to burn out
(workaholic tendencies) or opt out due to fear of failure. Many top
graduates leave with "straight A" academic achievements and first
class honours and then suffer under the burden of feeling compelled
to live up to this previous success! Ten years down the line they may
be driving a van or temping still due to fear of failure or embarking
on the wrong career! Proper career counselling can prevent this
through providing the best guarantee possible that they will "win" if they run in the race and take that well-matched path.
Perfectionists
set very high and sometimes unrealistic standards for themselves and
perhaps for those around them. They self-flagellate and nit-pick over
minor mistakes. This all leads to high levels of stress (added to the
stress of increased workload through not delegating and not saying "No" when asked to take on yet more). They may think negatively
and decry their own achievements (anyone could do that!), and they
make be reluctant to appear weak and to ask for help when required.
It
can be bad to be too good!
In
addition, perfectionists are often people pleasers, keen to be
thought "nice" and to not cause offence. This can lead to an
overly deferential style and a fear of confrontation or conflict.
They can spend their lives constantly pleasing others and never
pleasing themselves!
Finally,
perfectionists can be idealists with high moral codes. They may for
example be vegetarian and disparaging of meat eaters. They may work
hard to help others, beating themselves up in moments of (only human)
selfishness or weakness. They may be constantly sickened, upset and
disappointed by the world. Consequently, they may prefer to work with
things, which further benefit from being more controllable and
predictable!
If
you are a perfectionist, you no doubt need to lighten up, have more
fun, laugh, recognise when you are going too far and understand that
Excellence
is more realistic than Perfection !!!
The Process
Psychometric
questionnaires (interests, values and personality measures) and a
personal history/objective form will be completed in advance, so I
will already know quite a lot about you by the time you arrive.
The
aptitude assessment (seven types of reasoning) starts at 9.30am, and
takes about 2 1/2 hours and is marked immediately.
Following
a break for lunch (provided), there is a. career consultation /
counselling discussion of about 2 1/2 hours. The length of the
discussion is dependent on client needs - I see only one person per
day so I am happy to overrun if necessary to ensure that the
individual's objective is met and that s/he is satisfied.
The
detailed bespoke report will be sent within two weeks of the career
analysis and design consultation.
Fee £645
All
fees are due on the day. I accept cheque, BACS or Credit Card
payment, which can be made over the Internet through Paypal.
Career
coaching consultations are held in my comfortable and personal office
at my home in London SW16 (Tooting/Streatham borders)
Find Out More
For any further details about the perfectionist programme that I offer in London, call me on 020 8769 5737 .
Contact Me ☎