I wrote last
week about finishing things, about completing tasks to the best of my ability.
Most of the time this is a very good thing, but there are times when it works
against me.
I had a job
once where I had actually done too good of a job. My job was to catch mistakes,
and I was good at it. Unfortunately, my ability to find mistakes and pass this
feedback onto those responsible for fixing these mistakes cost time. Not my
time. I was fast and efficient in my efforts, but the people who had to fix the
mistakes became bogged down.
I was
instructed by superiors to start letting certain mistakes go. Obviously, my
completionist nature rebelled against the idea, and I began to lose respect for
the job. I began to not care and even resent the work. I didn’t remain at that
job much longer.
It’s just
part of who I am. When I’m asked not to do the best job I can, when I see
people who don’t care, it goes against my nature.