Perfection & the Court Reporter

Court reporters work very hard to write each and every word spoken during a proceeding. As noted by PETAP, court reporters tend to be ESFJ (Extraverted Sensing Feeling Judging) and ISFJ (Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging) personality types.  As Nancy Varallo noted in her keynote address to the United States Court Reporters Association, they also tend to be perfectionists.

Seth Godin wrote, “when we try to be perfect in everything we do, we lose what we are seeking, which tends to be ourselves.”  So, what is a court reporter to do, whose very job demands perfectionism?  Perhaps in finding a balance of excellence (almost perfection) and self, reporters can avoid burn-out.

Corporations are just now beginning to realize that working employees to burn-out is actually a losing proposition for everyone. Sheila Blackford wrote a wonderful blog about ways to “Knock Out Burnout,” and two of her recommendations include “taking it easy on yourself” and learning to “set boundaries.”

Perfectionists have trouble setting those boundaries and taking it easy on themselves.  Susan Smith Blakely wrote in her blog post “Women Lawyers Do Not Need to be Perfect,” that “letting go of the little things” in order to focus on “what is really important” is key, and that is something court reporters can learn from as well.  For instance, if a reporter has been the exclusive reporter in a long, ongoing case for an extended period of time, he or she may want to consider bringing on board another reporter to share the workload, and “letting go” of the reins a little.  Sharing the work with another reporter of similar standards of excellence will relieve some of the pressure and allow the reporter to feel comfortable in sharing the load from the get-go the next time around.

By asking for and accepting help, court reporters come to realize that there is more to life than just work.  They find more time to spend with friends and family, working on a hobby, or even treating themselves to some “me” time.  One thing is clear – when the perfectionist in us learns to “take it easy” and “set boundaries,” life suddenly becomes so much more fun!