Accidental email replies and perfectionism perils

Ever accidentally hit “reply” instead of “forward”?

That’s what happened to one of my readers when I sent out an invitation to a webinar last month. Here’s what ended up back in my inbox:

Years ago, the version of me I wrote about here would have been rattled by this dose of unfiltered feedback. “80% is a B minus! Where did I go wrong with the other 20 percent?!”

But the current version of myself is stoked about my 4 out of 5 hit rate with a consistent follower. Even the world’s best basketball players struggle to make 80 percent of their free throws – and nobody is guarding them! What if we landed 80 percent of our media pitches or sales calls?!

The same day, I got this all-too-purposeful direct reply:

I guess that’s a 0 out of 5. Clearly not my target audience.

My point:

Public relations naturally attracts many of us with the “people pleaser” personality. This can be a superpower when we rely on it to empathize with audiences and guide messages that resonate. But if we let it take over, we’re pretzeled in knots of analysis paralysis instead of taking confident action.

Remember, we aren’t surgeons or pilots. PR isn’t about being flawless. It’s about being useful, often.

Think how freely you’ll ideate, how fast you’ll produce, and how energizing you’ll be for coworkers when you’re not trying to bat 1.000 all the time.

Think how much more valuable feedback people will offer freely when you radiate your deeply held belief it’s okay to be imperfect.

Think how much more you’ll welcome constructive criticism . . . when you trust yourself to dismiss what isn’t actually constructive.

All those things get easier when you remember:

You don’t need to please everyone – just the right ones, most of the time.

If this post resonates with you, I invite you to share it with someone you trust and ask them, “What 20 percent am I missing? What’s a blind spot I have at work?”

And then I’d be thrilled if you tell me – on purpose 😊 – about what results. I promise not to share it, even redacted.