It is crucial for a boss to tactfully handle a perfectionist team lead or a manager so that his traits can be used in a constructive way, without it demoralising the team. Rica Bhattacharyya finds out ways to do so.
1 Detail Task To curb fastidiousness of a perfectionist, a leader could himself do the necessary detailing required for tasks. “Develop a ‘role matrix’ and support it with a structured scorecard,” says Adil Malia, group president — HR, Essar Group.
2 All-Round Feedback A perfectionist manager will not be able to handle direct criticism and hence a leader could introduce collective feedback.
3 Personal Intervention A perfectionist manager’s boss can hold meetings with him and his team members. “This would help in reassuring other members,” says Malia.
4 Be Constructive A boss can encourage perfectionist team members as they bring in an element of quality which an efficiency-oriented team member may lack, says Dhruv K Desai, senior VP and head, HR and leadership academy, Angel Broking.
5 Identify Buddy A leader can identify someone the fussy team member respects and identifies with, ensuring another channel of communication is maintained, says Desai.
(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 18-01-2013)
