"(Howard) Hughes never learned how to convert his knowledge to practical application. Instead he sought a perfection that assured failure." - From Empire: The Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes by Donald L. Bartlett & James B. Steel

How many times have you heard someone (it may have been you) proclaim or complain that he/she is a perfectionist? You may have noticed that going for perfection is a fool's game. You simply cannot win when you set perfection as your standard.

There may be rare and unusual situations where perfection is assumed to be an appropriate standard. Frankly, I can't think of one - no, not even life and death situations such as heart surgery demand perfection in the process. Each stitch does not have to be sewn perfectly in order to affect the outcome. Perfection is present in the ultimate result, as evident in the patient's survival or death, not in the process.

When "perfection" is the goal it is usually out of an exaggerated desire to be right, to avoid criticism or risk. The focus is on "how am I doing?" rather than on producing a specific outcome. Excellence, on the other hand, is a way of life. It is the context in which high achievers and peak performers produce and contribute to the quality of life. High achievers and peak performers get things done by taking action looking for appropriate outcomes and measuring their success based on the quantity and quality of their results.

The bad news is that being a human being means we have the abilities and the failings of human beings. We make mistakes. We get tired. We get distracted. We fail to communicate clearly and accurately. When we set perfection as our goal, all of our actions are based on attempts to conquer our natural human limits with little or no intention on the ultimate outcome. The search for perfection limits our ability to act meaningfully.

Acting in accordance with standards of excellence allows us to produce superb results and opens the door to experimentation and creativity.

Ruth Zanes

Ruth Zanes has been a Business, Career and Personal Success Coach since 1985. Her broad range of experience prior to coaching includes consultant, business ownership and corporate executive for some of the world’s largest corporations.

Founder and lead coach of Unlimited Resources, Ruth says “the company is the natural culmination of my corporate career, business experience and my study and training in transformational technologies and human development.” Ruth is currently engaged in one-on-one individual, career and business coaching, group coaching, and leads workshops and seminars related to such topics as team building, leadership, personal growth, negotiation, etc. She is also a speaker at conferences and meetings on these same topics.

Business Owner Prior to Unlimited Resources, Ruth headed Strategic Resources, Inc. a multi-million dollar marketing consulting and marketing research company located in the New York Metro area for over 15 years. The company served corporations in many diverse industries with a distinguished client list that includes Fortune 500 companies such as, AT&T, American Express, Bristol-Myers, Citibank, Clairol, Coca Cola, GE and many others.

Corporate Executive A corporate executive with several Fortune 100 companies before she became a business owner, Ruth’s corporate career included executive marketing positions with companies such as: Avon Products, one of the world's largest cosmetics companies, Chesebrough-Pond's (now a division of Unilever), Clairol division of Bristol Myers, Grey Advertising and Foote, Cone & Belding advertising agencies.

Education Ruth is a graduate of Coach University and is on the faculty for this university. She has a B.A degree from Brooklyn College and did her graduate work in psychology and statistics at the New School for Social Research. She has spent more than 15 years of intensive study with CEU accredited transformational programs such as Landmark Education and has led a variety of seminars and workshops for these organizations.

Other Accomplisments The author for trade and professional publications, Ruth taught undergraduate courses in marketing at Jersey City State College and has served on the boards for professional and community organizations. She is listed in Who's Who of American Women, is an Executive Member of the American Marketing Association, a member of the International Coach Federation and Coachville and serves on the board of the Georgia Coaches.