Target CEO Brian Cornell Offers A Lesson In Detaching From Perfection

I have known Brian Cornell for many years. He has been leading companies ever since we met, taking him into the executive suites at Safeway, Michaels stores, PepsiCo and Sam’s Club. Today, he is the chief executive officer of Target. He knows firsthand the benefits of dedicating himself to excellence. Part of his process is learning to be comfortable as a teacher and a student.

Brian shared this story with me: “Leaders who are mature recognize that they can’t be perfect. I was criticized for wanting to be perfect at an early stage in my career. I wanted to make sure I was completely buttoned up. One day, my old boss sat me down and said, ‘Brian, you do great work, you have an amazing work ethic and you’re always organized. Everything is perfect and every word’s been thought out. But you should spend more time just being yourself, being genuine and staying approachable.’” Brian uses this lesson every day as he leads Target through the storm clouds in today’s modern business world.

Here are some suggestions for achieving excellence and loosening your attachment to perfection.

Fall in Love with Your Imperfections

Stop trying to be perfect. You are an imperfect human being by nature. Acknowledge your perfectionism right out of the gate and view life as a journey of experimentation and continuous learning. Get comfortable with ambiguity and expect to make some mistakes. Practice mental toughness and mental tenderness. You deserve both.

Good enough is good enough. Work toward progress, not perfection. Expose yourself to situations that you fear, like your fear of embarrassment when you make a mistake in front of people. You might even practice being imperfect with others. Cultivate your confidence and humility—even if it hurts. And recognize your tendency to worry.

When you feel anxiety, try meditation or take a walk in nature.

• Stop judging and putting yourself down for being imperfect and recognize the beauty of your imperfections.

• Seek out experiences that take you out of your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to ask for feedback.

• Have confidence that you will perform excellent work.

Confront Your Inner Hijackers

Your perfectionistic mind plays tricks on you. Change your internal dialogue and self-talk. Throw cold water on your inner critic, and stop comparing yourself with others. Distinguish what you can and cannot control. The more honest you are about the difference, the less time you will waste and the less angst you will experience.

Reframe who you are, how you think and how you act. Remember you can change. Acknowledge how your thoughts and feelings hijack you. Let go of your fears of being wrong. Be aware of how the external forces in your life—bosses and colleagues, teachers and social pressures—can dictate your perfectionism. Are they pressuring you to be perfect? Are you influenced by the success of others? Remember: you control how these forces affect you.

• Tell yourself positive thoughts about your performance.

• Know your most vulnerable situations, like when you receive negative feedback from others.

• Catch yourself being rigid and overorganizing your world.

Rebalance Your Work

Perfectionistic work is not productive work. Loosen the pressure to produce all the time. Be flexible with your excessive standards and know your breaking point when you might burn out, or you stop being creative or productive. Get rid of your inner rule book that stifles you and imposes unnecessary restrictions. Schedule your time realistically and beware of getting sidetracked by details. Sometimes, it’s best to tackle your most difficult work first and remember to take breaks throughout the day.

If you happen to live or work with a perfectionist, be aware of their negative effect on you. The key is to stay engaged with healthy boundaries between the two of you. When they show their perfectionistic side, don’t take their behavior personally; don’t deny your own feelings, foster your own self-esteem; and don’t be afraid to embrace your own imperfections.

• For the perfectionist, be flexible with your excessive standards that can blind and shackle you.

• Set smart goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Being SMART will help you avoid procrastination.

• Separate your work time from family and personal time. When you do, try to be in the moment with your partner, kids and friends.

Act with Constructive Impatience

Perfectionism influences how you interact with others at work too. To minimize its impact, practice constructive impatience. The constructive side aims to create a psychologically safe environment for those around you. It’s where people feel good about themselves, feel empowered to take risks and are open to new ways of doing things. You are under- standing and patient and show people they are valued.

Another side of you is impatient, wanting visible, immediate results. So you push and make demands not only for yourself but those around you. You want everyone, including yourself, to stretch their abilities and eagerly pursue their goals. The combination of a constructive mindset and impatience avoids the effects of perfectionism and fosters excellent work.

• Create a healthy, safe environment for people while focusing on results.

• Involve people in decisions while nudging them out of their comfort zones.

• Set higher goals while helping people find meaning in their work.

Excerpt from: Detach: Ditch Your Baggage to Live a More Fulfilling Life by Bob Rosen, 2025.