'The enemy of progress' | Ex-IBM chief says 'perfectionism' is a bad trait for leaders to have

IBM’s former president says ‘perfectionism’ is one of the worst traits a leader can have in the workplace, calling it “the enemy of progress”.

Ginni Rometty, ex-president and CEO of the tech behemoth, was speaking at the annual World Business Forum recently when she made the comments about what is often considered a positive – and even necessary – characteristic for leaders to show in the workplace.

Rometty, who worked for IBM for 39 years and was chief exec from 2012 to 2020, explained how she’d made her mind up after being seen as a perfectionist for many years.

“My nickname in my early career was Red Pen,” she told the forum, explaining how “you’d send anything to me” and it would be returned “completely red.”