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 Thief 7: Poor Communication
Think about how you communicate.

 Decide which medium is most suitable.
 Match communication to task complexity.

 Do not ‘over‐communicate’.
 Ensure lines of communication are open.
 Use understandable language.

 Thief 8: Perfectionism
A Perfectionist is someone who is never satisfied with how well they complete a task. Try the
following questionnaire to think about whether you are a perfectionist.
Circle the number which best describes you (1: This does not describe me; 2: It describes me at
times; 3: This describes me perfectly):

Items Scale Items Scale
1. If I want a job done properly I must 7. I often get ‘stuck’ on small details
do it myself. 1 2 3 when working on a task. 1 2 3
2. I set myself very high expectations 1 2 3 8. I am afraid of making a mistake –
and never give up until I reach them. I don’t like it and neither do others. 1 2 3
3. I usually do more than three drafts 9. My employees say that I am always
of a letter. 1 2 3 hard to please – I want it done per‐ 1 2 3
4. fectly.
I will extend my deadlines if I am 1 2 3
not satisfied with the job: I do this 10. I don’t like to ask others for help. 1 2 3
often. 11. I don’t delegate too much because I
5. I am always correcting others at 1 2 3 still spend too much time supervis‐ 1 2 3
work and at home. ing the work.
6. When I reread work I have done I 12. If I don’t believe I can do a really 1 2 3
am rarely satisfied with it. 1 2 3 good job, I don’t attempt it.

Total your score and place it in the box. If your score is over 24 you may be too much of a Total
perfectionist. In other words, you are ‘hung up’ on getting everything exactly right all the time.
Few tasks are ever exactly as you would like. You must learn to accept this or you may be
wasting too much of your time.

To control your perfectionism:
 Prioritize your work.
 Do not spend time on low‐priority tasks.

 Keep your eye on the ‘big picture’.
 Do not be distracted by trivia.

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