Shannon Waller's Team Success Breaking The Perfectionism Trap
Dec 4, 2025
16:06
Are you holding yourself—or your team—to an impossible standard? In this episode, Shannon Waller unpacks the real differences between high standards and perfectionism. She also explains how to build a culture of confidence, speed, and accountability so your team can deliver great results, move faster, and actually enjoy the process—without getting stuck chasing an unattainable ideal.
Show Notes:
- Having high standards helps you feel confident and stay clear on what really matters, unlike perfectionism, which can drain your energy and slow you down.
- Perfectionism usually comes from fear—fear of messing up or not being good enough—while high standards come from caring about great results.
- Aiming for “really good” instead of “perfect” will help you get more done, faster, and with less stress.
- The 80% Approach™ is a great way to keep projects moving forward. Instead of trying to do everything yourself or make every detail flawless, take your work to 80% complete and then hand it off so others can add their expertise. It’s an easier, more collaborative way to avoid getting stuck chasing “perfect.”
- It’s all about teamwork, letting go of control, and trusting that “good and moving forward” beats “perfect and stalled.”
- When your team shares the workload and plays to their strengths, things flow better and no one hangs on to tasks out of worry.
- Make your standards clear and explain why they matter. When people understand the purpose, they step up with better quality.
- Don’t worry if things aren’t perfect; mistakes are just opportunities to learn and improve next time.
- Perfectionism is often a habit we inherit; choose to shift your mindset to focus on progress, not perfection.
- Not every task needs your full-on perfectionist energy—save that for what truly matters to you.
- When you combine high standards with smart teamwork and self-awareness, you create a culture where trust and innovation thrive.
Resources:
The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy
The 80% Approach by Dan Sullivan
Multiplication By Subtraction by Shannon Waller