Diligence Vs. Obsession on the Job

What work world does NOT want diligent, organized and efficient employees? Most of us have been lead to believe that we need to pay attention to detail and strive toward excellence in our careers and, of course, these are traits to be celebrated. But what happens when diligence becomes obsession? What happens when attention to excellence comes at the expense of teamwork and balance in the work place?

A diligent worker is hard-working and conscientious. He or she pays close attention to details and is meticulous about completing tasks and doing a good job. This diligence sounds like a very good thing and a quality to be nurtured in employees. While diligence IS a good thing, there are those who demonstrate more obsessive attention to details and can be very difficult to work with.

An obsessive person is one who is compulsive and fanatical. For example, if a worker insists that things be done a certain way and does not leave room for individuality or the opinions and efforts of others to be different, this can cause problems on the job. A neurotic insistence that things be done a certain way or on a certain time schedule when the job doesn't necessarily require it may be over the top behaviors.

If you find yourself working long hours just to get things to be "just so" or find that you are unable to allow for ordinary human fallacies and mistakes, there might be a problem with obsessive behaviors. If you have so many rules and specific ways that things need to be done that it is actually taking up more time and resources and is an impediment to productivity, then obsession may be bringing down your performance.

Of course, it can be challenging for someone who is behaving in an obsessive way to realize it; he or she may just think that the behaviors are acceptable and hyper-diligent. It can be helpful to get a reality check from coworkers and/or a supervisor. Ask yourself if you are allowing for others' points of view and other ways of problem-solving? Are you accepting of an ordinary productivity schedule or do you expect perfection and over-achieving production levels? Does your behavior keep others from wanting to work with you?

Diligence and a solid work ethic are important for any workers performance, but obsessive behaviors can be a drag on the entire work environment.