The Leadership Lessons I Learned the Hard Way

Perfectionism has always presented itself to me throughout my life as an omnipresent force that haunts me to strive for constant improvement and, of course, perfection, like an ever-present voice that whispers to me perpetually, "Not enough." However, the project to create Oovi pushed me to grapple with this force in unexpected ways. This grappling was not achieved through a specific epiphany but through constant gradual change that came from the process of making something that was meant for other people and not for myself alone.

Oovi represented an online mental health organization that I co-founded to provide metrics and tools for your mental health journey, a community through group therapy sessions that would create an atmosphere that was open and free from judgment, and private sessions to take a deeper look at the progress and efforts someone has made. Oovi was more than a project to me, though; it was something that was intrinsically connected to my values. Seeing my grandmother go through the worst forms of therapy, where unhealthy behaviors were masqueraded under the guise of therapeutic boundaries, made me realize the need to create a better option. Seeing this motivated me to create a mental health system that worked alongside traditional therapy, acting as a metric, guide, and community through life's messy moments.

The undertaking allowed me to shift my focus from the pursuit of perfectionism to the individuals that we were helping. One Tuesday night stands out particularly. The group session was made up exclusively of males, and the mood amongst them was one that was evident with a strong sense of camaraderie. Later on, three of the six participants came to me with the aim of starting a communication platform outside the sessions—a place where they could trade information and offer support to each other. After asking the other participants about the possible benefits of this project, the feedback was that it was both needed and obvious, prompting the creation of the posting forum.

The forum was left out of the initial Oovi plan but soon became an essential part of our group. The members provided each other with support, shared individual stories, and started to build relationships that went beyond the official sessions. Seeing this change made me understand an important fact: the attention was not about me or my perfectionistic nature—it was about them, the people that I am serving.

The forum served not only to engage current members but to also attract prospective new participants. It evolved to be a place where people craved connection and a feeling of belonging. This experience served to strengthen my belief that organizations and communities thrive where the interests of customers or members are placed higher than the goals of the organization.

This transition was not always linear. There were times when I was committed to keeping to my strategy using content and functions that I thought would be ideal. Each time that I chose to take the feedback from our members into account, though, resulted in a stronger product. One major alteration that I made was the reallocation of resources to enhance both the functions and moderation of the forum. This change was not something that was initially intended, but it was successful in meeting the community's and even the organization's needs.

In my role as a leader, I learned that the pursuit of perfection is an insurmountable barrier. This behavior causes people to be overly self-focused, waiting until the situation seems ideal. However, by the time one feels prepared to move, the opportunity will likely be gone. Rather, by focusing my energies on making the Oovi members' needs our priority, I was successful in proving profitability before achieving personal satisfaction with the product—at least if such is possible for me (laughs).

The reality is that leadership is not about achieving perfection but about flexibility. It means listening carefully and reacting to situations, even if doing so means having to drop one's initial strategies. My experience building Oovi showed that real progress comes not from the pursuit of perfection but from ongoing engagement, staying open-minded, and showing a willingness to shift one's priorities based on the expressed needs of the community. For entrepreneurs and executives alike, the lesson is simple: drop the illusion of perfection. Create products and services for the people whom you want to help, letting them guide your endeavors. Their needs will always be a better source of direction than ego ever will.