“I could never be like you”: Why imperfection is your super power

If we constantly compare ourself to others, we’ll never be able to own our own uniqueness and point of difference in business or in life. There is plenty of power in being perfectly imperfect, writes PR specialist Annette Densham.

Imagine if we lived in a world where it was impossible to measure your success against another’s? You would never find yourself lacking, rather you may end up thriving with what’s left in your hands.

What would it be like if we were deaf to the opinions of the world that rang loud in our ears? Would we be able to see who we were made to be more clearly? CEO of MicroChilli, Sharon Crombie says there are business perks to imperfection and not comparing ourselves to others.

Everybody has dreams, but making those dreams a reality is a whole other ball game.

When Sharon decided to venture out on her own and make her mark in the accounting and bookkeeping industry, the path wasn’t as smooth as one would have hoped.

“When I started out, I had several failed attempts at business,” Sharon says. “I think it’s even more discouraging when you’re comparing yourself to all of these other established businesses, especially when you aspire to get to that stage someday.

“The picture perfect, curated sleek image they’ve manufactured doesn’t help either, creating this unrealistic illusion of a pathway to success.”

CEO of MicroChilli, Sharon Crombie

This constant comparison plagued Sharon until imposter syndrome reared its ugly head, serving as a direct hindrance to her goals.

You can’t know all the answers, but you can learn them

Taking leadership in stride felt daunting for Sharon, it sometimes felt like she was watching a movie of herself play out without her permission.  She was the subject matter expert. She was cutthroat at her job, but there was always this underlying fear that someone was going to catch her off-guard with a question she had no idea how to answer.

“Ultimately you can’t know the answer to everything,” Sharon says.

“I feel like there’s this expectation that if you’re a professional, you have to ‘know everything’ or have meticulous understanding and have it all together. Eventually I had to shift my mindset in order to push through that imposter syndrome, accepting that it was ok that I didn’t know it all, it’s ok that I’m not perfect. If I didn’t have all the answers then, I would eventually find them.”

Recruitment industry research has found that women generally tend to focus their attention on the things they can’t bring to the table, as opposed to men who mostly focus on their best assets.

Could this mean that chronic perfectionism is a feminine trait that keeps women from taking the kind of risks they need to take in order to break that glass ceiling?

Comparison leads to fear of failure

According to Sharon, the fear of failure is a universal condition. She explains that this fear brought about by ‘comparison-itis’ creates a smokescreen that tricks you into thinking you’ve failed, as a result of using someone else’s success as a personal benchmark.

But the reality is that you haven’t failed. You’ve just lost track of who you are.

“With my failed businesses, I already knew what the issue was,” Sharon admits. “I attempted to build a business the way that everyone else thought I should build a business.

“People have always got an opinion and being a management accountant, there was this perception that the niche market I wanted to serve, as well as the fact that I only wanted to focus on bookkeeping, was a ‘waste’ of a qualification.

“Unfortunately, there’s this egotistical part of you that thinks that you should do what everyone else thinks you should do, but it’s not something you want to do. Therefore you end up serving a purpose that means nothing to you.”

It takes courage to be able to back yourself

Sharon believes to be successful in business you need to be willing to fight for what YOU want. Take the risks that YOU need to take, because your purpose is always going to look strange to the person sitting across from you. Mostly because they can’t see your purpose through your eyes.

That’s why it’s yours. You would be the only person to know its value, and the lengths you would need to go to fulfil it.

Ever heard the expression ‘reach for the stars and you’ll end up somewhere in the sky’?

“I could never be like you,” says Sharon. “Because I’ve already established being me. Imperfectly perfect me.”

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