Many employees struggle to be perfectionists on the job, which can trigger a cascade of anxieties, according to the Harvard Medical School.
"The core of all perfectionism is the intention to do something well," says Dr. Jeff Szymanski , an associate instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and executive director of the International OCD Foundation. "If you can keep your eye on intention and desired outcome, adjusting your strategy when needed, you're fine... But when you can't tolerate making a mistake, when your strategy is to make no mistakes, that's when perfectionism starts veering off in the wrong direction."