Progress vs. Perfection: Setting Realistic Expectations
Nobody’s perfect—it’s an expression we’ve all heard thousands of times. Despite the popularity of this phrase, society continues to set unachievable standards by which to measure ourselves. From airbrushed photos of celebrities to athletes who feel pressured to take steroids despite the dangers they pose—the pressure is always there.
In the workplace, while ambition and hard work are commendable, a focus on perfection can create an overall feeling of never measuring up. This can be detrimental to employee engagement. Rather than create pie-in-the-sky goals for employees, many organizations are implementing gamification solutions to help keep the focus on continuous progress, not perfection.
The inherent problem with perfection is that we’re all different—with unique strengths and weaknesses. To create a feeling of accomplishment and pride in one’s work, it’s important to measure individual progress and achievements against personal bests, not pit employees against each other where only the best—or an organization’s idealized model of perfection—is rewarded.
Gamification solutions track employee progress on multiple metrics on a personalized dashboard, so they can see their improvements, big and small, and therefore gain a sense of accomplishment.
Individuals crave positive reinforcement—particularly at work. When learning a new skill or overcoming a challenge, it is particularly important to provide encouragement along the way—not just after someone has achieved his or her goals. Earning points, winning badges, and being featured on a leaderboard are all forms of positive reinforcement that gamification platforms offer.
And rather than provide feedback once a year or even once a month, gamification solutions generate a regular stream of feedback to keep employees engaged and motivated to meet specific KPIs or achieve multiple tasks—like a personal fitness tracker for work that measures progress.
While the pursuit of perfection often highlights an individual’s or organization’s shortcomings, progress celebrates what is working, including improvements and the feeling of accomplishment. With the right gamification solution, your employees can stop striving for perfection and instead focus on individual progress—an achievable, realistic pursuit.
The post Progress vs. Perfection: Setting Realistic Expectations appeared first on Customer Experience Management Blog.
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