Perfection is overrated. In fact, at Rx Medical , we don’t want perfect employees — we want people who are willing to try, fail, adjust, and try again. Here’s the truth: in our family of healthcare businesses, we’ve learned that innovation doesn’t come from flawless execution the first time. It comes from messy whiteboard sessions, new ideas that sometimes flop, and team members bold enough to say, “What if we tried it this way?” Experience has taught me that perfection leaves no room for progress.
Do you agree that when leaders chase perfection, their teams learn to hide mistakes instead of grow from them? My leadership team and I would rather have an employee who admits they don’t know and ask hard questions than someone who polishes an image of “having it all together” while staying silent. It’s why this month’s LinkedIn leadership blog offers three ways to choose progress over perfection — and build teams that thrive on innovation.
3 Ways Smart Leaders Drive Progress, Not Perfection
1. Reward Curiosity (Not Just Results): Avoid only celebrating wins. Recognize the team member who asked the uncomfortable question, tested a new idea, or spotted a better path forward. Curiosity fuels innovation — it’s often the spark that leads to breakthroughs long before the “big win” shows up. When leaders only spotlight final outcomes, they unintentionally teach employees to play it safe. By rewarding curiosity, you send a clear message: progress comes from experimenting, challenging assumptions, and being bold enough to ask “what if?”
2. Mistakes Are Allowed. Silence Isn’t: Failure is part of the process. Hiding mistakes isn’t. Create a culture where people can admit missteps quickly and openly — then fix them fast. When teams know they won’t be punished for trying and failing, they’re more likely to take smart risks that can lead to progress. But when mistakes get buried, problems compound, trust erodes, and innovation stalls. Leaders must make it clear: owning a mistake earns respect, hiding one costs credibility.
3. Launch First, Polish Later: Perfection delays progress. Encourage teams to launch, test, and refine — even if the first version isn’t flawless. Real impact comes from getting solutions into motion, gathering feedback, and iterating forward. Endless polishing in the shadows may look safe, but it can kill momentum and slow innovation. Smart leaders set the expectation that progress is measured by learning and improving, not by how spotless something looks before it ever sees the light of day.
Across all of our offices at RX Medical, we celebrate resilience, curiosity, and the grit to keep going when the first (or fifth) attempt falls short. Because in our world, failure isn’t the opposite of success — it’s the tuition we pay for innovation. So no, we don’t want perfect employees. We want real ones — the kind who show up with ideas, courage, and the willingness to grow. If you’re on my team, don’t bring me polished excuses — bring me bold ideas. That’s how we’ll keep moving healthcare forward.
📌LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE: What’s costing your organization more right now: imperfection or inaction?
Brandon Rouse, CEO of Rx Medical, a family of healthcare businesses, leads a diverse & growing team of professionals well-versed in the challenges facing the medical field today. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Brandon’s experienced team represents various technological & innovative medical device solutions. ZB RX Medical and Rx Medical are direct distributors of Zimmer Biomet among others.