“If you’re going to do a job, do it well.”
It’s a phrase many of us were brought up on. Simple. Clear. Non-negotiable. And on the surface, it’s hard to argue with.
But the question that rarely gets asked is this:
What does “well” actually mean, and who decides?
For high achievers, that definition rarely stays fixed. It evolves over time, often without conscious awareness. What begins as a healthy commitment to quality gradually becomes something more demanding, more personal, and far less defined.
And that’s where the shift happens.
When “Well” Stops Being Defined
In high-performing environments, standards matter. Precision matters. Reputation matters. For doctors, lawyers, founders, and senior leaders, the margin for error can be small, and rightly so.
But there is a difference between professional excellence and unquestioned escalation.
What starts as:
- do it properly
- do it thoroughly
- do it professionally
can quietly become:
- do it better than expected
- do it beyond what’s required
- do it to a standard no one has actually defined
At that point, the standard is no longer external. It is internally generated, and often internally enforced.
Research from Curran and Hill (2019) shows that perfectionism has been steadily increasing over recent decades, particularly among high-performing individuals, driven in part by internalised expectations rather than direct external pressure.¹
The challenge is not the presence of standards.
It is the absence of boundaries around them.
The Cost That Doesn’t Look Like Burnout
When high performance is discussed, burnout tends to dominate the conversation. It is visible, measurable, and widely recognised.
But burnout is the endpoint.
What occurs far more frequently, and far more quietly, is something earlier in the process.
Erosion.
Not collapse. Not crisis. But a gradual and often unnoticed shift:
- more time invested than necessary
- more energy expended than required
- more mental load carried than justified
The individual continues to perform. Deadlines are met. Outcomes are delivered. From the outside, nothing appears wrong.
But internally, the cost is increasing.
Clarity begins to fade. Decision-making slows. Energy becomes less consistent. The work is still being done… but it is taking more to sustain it.
This is rarely labelled. But it is widely experienced.
When Effort Exceeds Return
I see this pattern in my own work as much as in others.
Building a business demands effort. Long hours can be justified. There are periods where intensity is both necessary and appropriate.
But there is a difference between working hard with intent and working to a standard that continues to rise without being questioned.
I’ve spent hours refining work that was already commercially sound; not because it needed improving, but because I wasn’t ready to leave it alone.
That distinction matters.
Because at that point, the work is no longer being shaped by outcome; it is being shaped by expectation.
And the question becomes unavoidable:
Is this level of effort actually required… or simply expected by me?
The Illusion of Progress
One of the reasons this pattern persists is that it feels productive.
Refinement looks like progress. Adjustment looks like care. Attention to detail looks like professionalism.
But not all movement is meaningful.
In The Mirage of Momentum, I explored how easy it is to mistake activity for advancement. The same applies here. Perfectionism can create a continuous sense of motion, without necessarily improving the outcome.
The work evolves, but the value does not always increase proportionately.
In some cases, it plateaus. In others, it diminishes.
Yet the behaviour continues, because it feels aligned with high standards.
The Pace Trap and Compounding Pressure
This is compounded further by pace.
In The Pace Trap, I described how high achievers often accelerate gradually, without realising it. Perfectionism intensifies that acceleration by adding cognitive load to an already demanding environment.
It is not simply that more is being done. It is that more is being considered, evaluated, and refined at every stage.
This creates a form of pressure that is not always visible externally but is deeply felt internally.
Everything begins to feel important. Everything carries weight.
And when everything matters, prioritisation becomes increasingly difficult.
Pressure Isn’t Always External
A consistent theme in coaching conversations is the perception of pressure.
“I’m under pressure.”
“There’s a lot expected of me.”
“I don’t feel like I can drop the standard.”
These statements are rarely inaccurate… but they are often incomplete.
When explored in more detail, the source of that pressure frequently shifts.
Deadlines may exist. Responsibilities are real. Expectations are present.
But the intensity of the pressure is often internally generated.
The standard has been raised, then reinforced, then normalised.
Over time, it becomes indistinguishable from external demand.
This aligns with findings from the American Psychological Association, which highlight that self-oriented perfectionism, the internal drive to meet exceptionally high standards, is strongly linked with stress and reduced wellbeing, even in high-functioning individuals.²
Awareness Is Not Enough
Many high achievers reach a point of awareness. They recognise the pattern. They can see the pace. They understand that something is misaligned.
But awareness alone does not create change.
The turning point is accountability.
The moment an individual recognises that the standard they are working to is not fixed, and not externally imposed, but chosen.
That recognition often produces an immediate shift.
The fog lifts.
Decision-making sharpens.
Energy stabilises.
Not because the work has changed, but because the relationship to the work has changed.
Decision Quality Over Perfection
In Decision Quality Is a Leadership Skill — Not a Personality Trait, I wrote about the importance of protecting judgement under pressure.
Perfectionism frequently undermines this.
It introduces hesitation where decisiveness is needed.
It creates complexity where clarity is required.
It delays action in pursuit of an undefined “better.”
In high-stakes environments, this has consequences.
Not because individuals lack capability, but because they are applying unnecessary standards to decisions that require proportion, not perfection.
The Role of Control
At a deeper level, perfectionism is not always about excellence.
It is often about control.
Control of outcomes.
Control of perception.
Control of uncertainty.
If something is done perfectly, it reduces exposure. It limits criticism. It creates a sense of certainty in uncertain environments.
But the trade-off is subtle and significant.
As control increases, flexibility decreases.
As standards rise, freedom reduces.
And over time, the individual becomes more constrained by their own expectations than by any external demand.
Redefining “Good Enough”
For many high achievers, the phrase “good enough” feels uncomfortable.
It can be interpreted as compromise. As a reduction in standards. As a step backwards.
But that interpretation is flawed.
“Good enough” is not about lowering the bar.
It is about placing it deliberately.
It is the ability to:
- match effort to outcome
- align standards with context
- recognise when additional input no longer creates additional value
In other words, it is a discipline and not a weakness.
Perspective: The Lighthouse
There is a phrase I often use in coaching:
When you’re in the waves, you can’t see the coastline.
Perfectionism keeps people in the waves: engaged, active, and focused, but without perspective.
From within the work, everything feels necessary.
From a distance, the picture often looks different.
That distance, whether created through reflection, structure, or coaching, is what allows the standard to be examined, rather than simply followed.
Final Thought
High achievers do not struggle because they aim high.
They struggle because the standard continues to move, and is rarely questioned.
Not everything requires perfection.
Some things require clarity.
Some require speed.
Some simply require completion.
The real skill is not raising the bar indefinitely.
It is knowing where it should be, and having the discipline to leave it there.
A Question to Leave You With
Is the standard you’re working to actually required, or simply one you’ve learned to expect from yourself?
References
- Curran, T., & Hill, A. P. (2019). Perfectionism Is Increasing Over Time: A Meta-Analysis of Birth Cohort Differences. Psychological Bulletin.
- American Psychological Association (2018). The Risks of Perfectionism in High Achievers.
- Harvard Business Review (2020). The Hidden Costs of Perfectionism.
- Sapolsky, R. (2017). Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst. Penguin Press.
I’m Laurence Loxam – I’ve pushed limits in business, on mountains, and at the finish line.
Now I help elite professionals do the same, pushing past the point most people stop.
I coach CEOs, doctors, lawyers, and founders who’ve hit success, but still feel there’s more.
Together, we unlock clarity, sharpen confidence, and lead with conviction.
loxamconsultingltd.org
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