unpopular opinion: perfectionism is killing your leadership

86% of people say perfectionist pressure messes with how they work, and 2 out of 3 workplaces are dealing with it too. What’s more, perfectionist leaders who express anger toward employees have been shown to hinder creative efforts. These are quite disconcerting statistics, especially since so many leaders expect both themselves and their staff to meet high performance standards.

But what if you are told that it is often a leadership style which steers away from perfectionism that truly boosts employee motivation? As it turns out (surprise!), employees who can relate to their leader on a human level and actively participate in the company’s success without the fear of making mistakes are more likely to contribute their efforts toward a collective goal.

How can we create an environment where leaders and employees aren’t expected to be perfect, though? And can this mindset shift benefit the company overall? These are some of the questions that Nevena Buzek, professional leadership, team coach and psychotherapist, aims to answer in this interview. Here’s how to become a leader who inspires employees not only to generate results but also to make mistakes, learn, and see personal meaning in the process itself.

I keep repeating that we need to retire the ‘flawless leader’ model. The belief that one person must drive everything creates burnout and stops team potential. — Nevena Buzek

1. reward learning: “I don’t know yet” is welcome

The main issue with perfectionism is that it stands in the way of learning. Fortunately, Nevena has noticed a significant shift in recent leadership practices. According to her experience, leadership is now “less about having all the answers and more about asking better questions and creating space for others to contribute and grow.”

Her advice is to reward learning, not just results. “When people feel safe to speak up, take risks, or say, ‘I don’t know yet, but let’s figure it out together,’ innovation naturally follows,” she points out. 

In general, leaders who shift their mindset to welcome more participation are more “coach-like,” Nevena says. “Instead of directing and jumping to solve problems, they listen, ask questions, and support autonomy and growth through making mistakes.”

In short, rewarding learning in a safe environment — even if the process includes making a few errors — is more likely to inspire growth and therefore innovation.

2. oopsies and wowsies: sharing failures

A leader ought to lead by example, which means that if you are to reward learning instead of just the final output, the same rules apply to you, too. 

As Nevena says, organizations thrive when leaders share their failures openly (they celebrate “oopsies as much as wowsies”), when they ask for feedback, and when they show that growth matters more than perfection. 

“You weren’t meant to fit a mold, you were meant to break it. Leadership today isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about being authentic, the REAL YOU, staying curious, and having the courage to grow out loud,” she tells us.

“The world doesn’t need flawless leaders, it needs real, grounded ones who are willing to question, reflect, and lift others as they rise. That’s how change happens, from the inside out.”

3. openness is not a weakness: prioritize credibility

Right now, you might be thinking, “This is all well and good, but how do I maintain authority and keep up the team’s performance if I wear my heart on my sleeve? Wouldn’t I appear… well, weak?”

As Nevena points out, this is something many leaders fear, but it rarely becomes a real obstacle: “Many confuse empathy with weakness, but real authority today comes from credibility and influence, not control. This is what really drives a team's performance in the modern era.”

Nowadays, Nevena sees more and more leaders “prioritizing psychological safety, emotional intelligence, and authenticity over authority,” which is slowly helping us all retire the “flawless leader” model. 

There is strength in showing your flawed humanity; strength which helps build a sense of respect that naturally arises from within instead of being imposed upon employees via a hierarchical structure with a “perfect” CEO at the top.

In other words, people respect you because they want to. Not because they have to.

4. co-creation over control: distributing ownership

Over the years, Nevena has noticed that leadership has been shifting from control to connection. It is about “co-creation, distributed ownership, and vulnerability, not perfection.”

This manifests in many different ways, from allowing employees to have more ownership and agency over their tasks to “navigating hybrid work by learning to foster connection without physical presence, through intentional check-ins, async updates, and transparency and building trust.”

In Nevena’s view, the future of leadership “is fluid and human-centred. We already see that shift from Boss to Coach in leadership, and in a decade from now, coaching will have an even bigger place.”

“Diversity of thought, ethics, and sustainability will matter as much as performance. Leadership won’t be about titles or hierarchy, it’ll be about service, courage, and the ability to create space for others to thrive.”

5. use reverse mentoring: learn from your juniors

Ever heard of “reverse mentoring circles”? In her coaching program with an executive team in a multinational corporation, Nevena helped create a program where junior team members mentored senior leadership on AI trends, inclusion, and Gen Z expectations. 

“It was a huge success in culture shift because it flattens hierarchy and builds mutual respect while keeping leaders in touch with emerging realities,” shares Nevena. 

Another great example of nurturing a culture of active participation comes from a startup Nevena once coached — by embedding peer feedback into every sprint, feedback as a concept became less intimidating and helped foster regular self-reflection. 

“No waiting for annual reviews, everyone, including the CEO, received real-time input from teammates,” Nevena explains. “Leadership became something you practiced every day, not a role you had. It created a culture of shared responsibility and continuous learning.”

This only goes to show that when leaders open themselves to feedback, stop imposing perfectionist expectations on themselves and their employees, and learn from their juniors, they don’t just grow on a personal level — their company grows with them.

you’re not perfect, and that’s a good thing

A relatable, inspiring leader equals an openly imperfect human. A workplace that cherishes learning more than it penalizes mistakes equals a boost in employee motivation, satisfaction, and productivity. And a leader who shows vulnerability, openness, and empathy isn’t weak. As our interview with Nevena shows, it’s actually quite the opposite.

Want to connect with leaders like Nevena and be part of an exclusive space for impact-driven decision-makers? Learn more about our ERA community here.

about Nevena

Nevena is a certified coach, psychotherapy counselor, and leadership development expert with a Master’s degree in Education, focused on adult learning and human development. Originally from Serbia, she spent six enriching years in Slovakia before making Switzerland her home.

Before founding her company in Zurich, Nevena led leadership development strategies in the corporate world, gaining firsthand experience in what drives performance, engagement, and change. Today, she brings that practical insight into her work with clients, blending business understanding with psychological depth and coaching expertise.

Her mission is to help leaders and teams grow with emotional intelligence, clarity, and confidence. She also founded a local learning community in Zurich and runs programs designed to empower women in leadership, helping them lead authentically and thrive.