It’s sneaky. One minute you are setting and achieving high-minded goals, working toward a greater purpose, in tune with the company Vision, Mission and Values. The next, you are cutting a corner here, sluffing off a project there, laying off or terminating an employee, taking the quick and easy route instead of fixing the growing cancer invading your workplace. That cancer’s name?
MEDIOCRITY.
You are not alone. You are normal. Time pressures, budget constraints, leadership bandwidth limits, and client demands will push team members to “get things done and out the door” rather than do the RIGHT things the right way.
At first, there’s little affect on the company, other than things “getting done”. On the surface, these cut corners and side-steps look brilliant. The end justifies the means. We carry on … and instead of fixing what forced the corner cutting, we repeat the performance. Soon the corner cutting becomes “the way we do things”. When people ask “Why?” they are forced to conform or are singled out as “not team players”.
Then one day it happens … the inevitable. Something goes wrong.
- Fingers point.
- Tempers clash.
- Employees duck and cover.
- Leaders delegate responsibility for the cleanup (or cover up).
- Hierarchies are emphasized.
- Divisions increase.
- Effective communication fizzles.
- Trust is lost.
- Casualties are swept under the carpet.
- Business continues … in denial.
Allowing MEDIOCRITY to creep into the workplace culture is like allowing MSG into your daily diet.
- MSG tastes great at first, but eventually there will be allergic reactions.
- Allergies may be mild at first and acceptable for the convenience and taste of the foods with MSG.
- Eventually, MSG will cause internal damages.
- If still consumed, you will become a medical nightmare. If MSG is never identified as the culprit, but fingers are pointed in other directions, you and your doctor will waste time, effort and money on ineffective and useless appointments, testing and treatments.
- Cut out the MSG or stay sick and weak and eventually die before your time.
Cut out the MEDIOCRITY or your workplace will be sick, weak and may just die before its time.
But HOW?
It’s simple, inspiring and will breathe new life into your team, your clients and your credibility.
- Train Together. Bring your team and leaders a few easy to implement skills and strategies.
- Support each other. Reward implementation. Follow up to see what resources your team needs and what obstacles you can help remove. Frown upon finger-pointing. Appreciate failures as the fastest “learning opportunities” and new “launching pads”. Make failures your team’s greatest strategic advantage.
- Grow Together. Celebrate successes and brainstorm strategies around what could work even better.
Your team will start a culture of doing the RIGHT things for the RIGHT reasons. Their actions will throw MEDIOCRITY into remission and reverse the damage it has caused.
Even the greatest of teams and leaders can use targeted and effective training for TODAY’s workplace challenges. Contact Carol at GetThrival! Training & Consulting for a no charge consultation today.
Make your workplace THE workplace to be!