Two Types of Personal Perfectionism | Generated by AI
Question: How do you view being “peaky” (being highly perfectionistic or demanding), especially the difference between those who are peaky in a negative way (complaining a lot, blaming the environment, lazy to change) and those who are peaky in a positive way (having high standards directed at oneself or one’s own work, like Steve Jobs)?
Answer:
“Being peaky” (perfectionistic, demanding, or hard to satisfy) is neither inherently good nor bad—it entirely depends on where the perfectionism is directed and how it is expressed.
Negative Peaky Behavior
This is the destructive form most people complain about:
- High standards are applied primarily to others or to external circumstances.
- The person constantly criticizes teammates, tools, processes, or the environment (“This is terrible,” “Why can’t they do it right?”).
- They blame external factors for shortcomings instead of taking ownership.
- Little energy is spent on personal improvement or fixing the issues themselves.
- Result: Frustration spreads, morale drops, and little actual progress is made. This is essentially entitlement disguised as high standards.
Positive Peaky Behavior
This is the constructive form exemplified by people like Steve Jobs:
- High standards are applied primarily to oneself and to one’s own work/product.
- Criticism of others or the environment is secondary and only serves the goal of making the product exceptional.
- The person is willing to work extraordinarily hard, iterate relentlessly, and push themselves far more than they push others.
- They take full responsibility for the outcome and focus energy on improving what they can control.
- Result: Extraordinary quality, innovation, and lasting impact. The “peakiness” becomes a driving force for excellence rather than an excuse for dissatisfaction.
Key Differences
| Aspect | Negative Peaky | Positive Peaky (e.g., Steve Jobs) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary target | Others, environment | Self and own work |
| Response to imperfection | Complain, blame | Fix, iterate, improve |
| Effort level | Low personal effort, high criticism | Extremely high personal effort |
| Ownership | Externalizes problems | Internalizes responsibility |
| Outcome | Stagnation, resentment | Breakthroughs, exceptional results |
In short, healthy “peakiness” is self-directed perfectionism combined with relentless action. It feels demanding to outsiders, but the demands are backed by the person’s own sacrifice and commitment. Unhealthy peakiness is other-directed perfectionism without corresponding effort—essentially using high standards as a shield against personal accountability.
The best leaders and creators are often “peaky,” but what separates the admired ones from the dreaded ones is that their perfectionism starts (and mostly stays) with themselves.